By the Light of the Moon
by ashtheking
Summary: With a different Great Prophecy than the books, and Annabeth killed because of it, how will Percy cope? What will he be doing? An eventual Percy x Artemis story, which will follow Percy's story as the greatest Hero the world will ever see.
1. Chapter 1 -- Heroes of Olympus

**Authors Note: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this story, it's my first. It's an eventual Percy x Artemis tale, but I'm not sure when it'll happen. The story is mostly just being created as I go, at the moment. I can tell you guys now I won't bring Chaos or any other Primordial deity as a patron or leader or something like that, it'd been overdone. If Percy is going to survive, it'll be on his own skills, and those of the gods who favor him. Please review and inform me of anything I can do to improve, and anything you disliked. I'll try to respond.**

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_**By the Light of the Moon**_

The Great Prophecy 

_A half-blood of the eldest gods,_

_Shall reach sixteen against all odds._

_And see the world in endless sleep,_

_Heroes' souls, cursed blades shall reap._

_Four honored heroes made from death,_

_An oath shall be made of a final breath._

_A single choice shall end ones days,_

_Olympus to preserve or raze._

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_**Mount Olympus, Throne Room**_

**Percy's POV**

Kronos came at me like a whirlwind.

My instincts took over. I dodged and slashed and rolled, but I felt like I was fighting a hundred swordsmen. Ethan ducked to one side, trying to get behind me until Annabeth intercepted him. They started to fight, but I couldn't focus on how she was doing. I was vaguely aware of Grover playing his reed pipes. The sound filled me with warmth and courage – thoughts of sunlight and a blue sky and a calm meadow, somewhere far away from the war.

Kronos backed me up against the throne of Hephaestus – a huge mechanical La-Z-Boy type thing covered with bronze and silver gears. Kronos slashed, and I managed to jump straight up on to the seat.

The throne whirred and hummed with secret mechanisms.

_Defense mode_, it warned. _Defense mode is activating._

That couldn't be good. I jumped straight over Kronos' head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity in all directions.

One hit Kronos in the face, arcing down his body and up his sword.

"ARGH!" He crumpled to his knees.

Annabeth saw her chance. She kicked Ethan out of the way and charged Kronos. "Luke, listen!"

I wanted to shout at her, to tell her she was crazy for trying to reason with Kronos, but there was no time. Kronos rolled and swiped at Annabeth's chest with Backbiter, unleashing a wave of energy.

Annabeth flew backward, slamming into the throne of her mother and crumpling to the floor.

"Annabeth!" I screamed.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, "Family, Luke. You promised."

I took a slow step forward, moving through the power of the lord of time. Grover was back on his feet, over by the throne of Hera, but he seemed to be struggling to move as well. Before either of us could get anywhere close to Annabeth, Kronos staggered.

He stared at the knife in Annabeth's hand, the blood on her face. "Promise."

Then he gasped like he couldn't get air. "Annabeth…" But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his own body. "You're bleeding…."

"Your mother," Annabeth winced. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" Luke suddenly roared. "This is my fate."

"No!" Annabeth insisted. Her eyes were tearing up, but I didn't know if it was from sadness or pain. "That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. You're part of the prophecy!"

"LIES", the Titan bellowed. "You cannot turn me, foolish demigod. You have already lost."

But he seemed to be struggling. I could see him stagger slightly, as if his body wouldn't obey his mind.

I charged at him, but Ethan stepped forward and blocked my advance.

Grover's music took on a more urgent tune. He moved toward Annabeth, but he couldn't go any faster and keep up the song. Grass grew on the floor of the throne room. Tiny roots crept up between the cracks of the marble stones.

Kronos dropped to one knee, unable to control his body. His hair smoldered. His face was covered with electrical burns.

"Nakamura!" he groaned. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure."

Ethan's eyes dropped to my midsection, and I was sure that he knew. Even if he couldn't kill me himself, all he had to do was tell Kronos. There was no way I could defend myself forever.

"Look around you, Ethan," I said. "The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed – the good with the bad? Everything?"

Grover was almost to Annabeth now, without Kronos noticing. The grass thickened on the floor. The roots were almost a foot long, like stubble on the floor.

"There is no throne to Nemesis," Ethan muttered. "No throne to my mother."

"That's right!" Kronos tried to get up, but stumbled. Above his left ear, a patch of blond hair still smoldered. "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer."

"You said your mom is the goddess of balance," I reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."

Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia – a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here. His good eye blinked.

Then he charged…

But not at me.

While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.

Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled. His face contorted for a second, in what looked like sorrow and panic, before turning back to the cruel sneer of the Titan.

Grover's music kept playing, and grass grew around Ethan's body. Ethan stared at me, his face tight with pain.

"Deserve better," he gasped. "If they just… had thrones-"

Kronos stomped his foot, swaying as he did. The floor ruptured around Ethan Nakamura.

The son of Nemesis fell through a fissure that went straight through the heart of the mountain – straight into open air.

Kronos took a step toward me, and then seemed to remember Annabeth. He collapsed onto his knees.

"Annabeth", he muttered – back to Luke's voice, as if the Titan wasn't in control anymore.

"My knife." Annabeth tried to raise her dagger, but it clattered out of her hand. Her arm was bent at a funny angle. She looked at me, imploring, "Percy, please…"

I surged forward and scooped up her knife. I knocked Backbiter out of Luke's hand, and it spun into the hearth. Luke hardly paid me any attention. He stretched a hand out toward Annabeth, but I put myself between him and her.

"Don't touch her," I said.

Anger rippled across his face. Kronos' voice growled: "Jackson…" Was it my imagination, or was his whole body glowing, turning gold?

He gasped again. Luke's voice: "He's changing. Help. He's… he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please-"

"NO!" Kronos bellowed. He looked around for his sword, but it was in the hearth, glowing among the coals.

He stumbled upwards toward it. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me out-of-the-way with such force I landed next to Annabeth and cracked my head on the base of Athena's throne.

"The knife, Percy," Annabeth muttered. Her breath was shallow. "Cursed blades… more than one…"

When my vision came back into focus, I saw Kronos grasping his sword. Then he bellowed in pain and dropped it. His hands were smoking and seared. The hearth fire had grown red-hot, like the scythe wasn't compatible with it. I saw an image of Hestia flickering in the ashes, frowning at Kronos with disapproval.

Luke turned and collapsed, clutching his ruined hands. "Please, Percy…"

I struggled to my feet. I moved toward him with the knife. I should kill him. That was the plan.

Luke seemed to know what I was thinking. He moistened his lips. "You can't… can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can… can keep him controlled. His scythe won't work. Not for this."

He was definitely glowing now, his skin starting to smoke.

I raised the knife to strike. Then I looked at Annabeth, at Grover cradling her in his arms, trying to shield her. And I finally understood what she'd been trying to tell me.

_You are not the hero,_ Rachel had said. _It will affect what you do._

"Please," Luke groaned. "No time."

If Kronos evolved into his true form, there would be no stopping him. He would make Typhon look like a playground bully.

The line from the great prophecy echoed in my head: _A single choice shall end one's days_. My whole world tipped upside down, and I gave the knife to Luke.

Grover yelped. "Percy? Are you… um…"

Crazy. Insane. Off my rocker. Probably.

But I watched as Luke grasped the hilt.

I stood before him – defenseless.

He unlatched the side straps of his armor, exposing a small bit of his skin just under his left arm, a place that would be very hard to hit. With difficulty, he stabbed himself.

It wasn't a deep cut, but Luke howled.

His eyes glowed like lava. The throne room shook, throwing me off my feet. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter. I shut my eyes and felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister my skin and crack my lips.

It was silent for a long time.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Luke sprawled at the hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash.

Kronos' scythe had liquefied into molten metal and was trickling into the coals of the hearth, which now glowed like a blacksmith's furnace.

Luke's left side was bloody. His eyes were open – blue eyes, the way they used to be. His breath was a deep rattle.

"Good… blade," he croaked.

I knelt next to him. Annabeth struggled over, looking weakened and sporting a long cut on her armor, leaning on Grover for support. They both had tears in their eyes.

"Annabeth… the scythe's curse…" He wheezed.

I paused, recalling something a monster once said about Kronos' scythe. _Careful, fool. One touch and the blade will sever your soul from your body._

"No." I breathed. "It can't."

I turned, staring at her properly for the first time since the injury. A huge ugly gash ran across her front. Luckily, her armor had protected her well. But then I noticed it. A small flesh wound on her side, where the scythe first hit her, bled profusely.

"Annabeth," I cried out in disbelief. Grover stopped as she staggered, and fell to her knees in front of Luke.

"Percy… Luke…" she smiled, the effort costing her.

Luke gazed at Annabeth. "You knew. I killed you, but you knew…"

"Shhh." Her voice trembled. "You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium."

He shook his head weakly. "Think… rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."

Annabeth sniffled. "You always pushed yourself too hard."

He held up his charred hand. Annabeth touched his fingertips.

"Did you…" Luke coughed and his lips glistened red. "Did you love me?"

Annabeth wiped her tears away. "There was a time I thought… well, I thought…" She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. I was standing there dumbfounded, still shocked by the revelation.

"You were like a brother to me, Luke," she said weakly. "But I didn't love you."

He nodded, as if he'd expected it. He winced in pain.

"We can get ambrosia for both of you," Grover said. "We can-"

"Grover," Luke gulped. "You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But no. There's no healing…" Another cough. Annabeth nodded weakly, and then slumped back. I caught her gently, and shook in fear.

He gripped my sleeve, and I could feel the heat of his skin like a fire. "Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it… Don't let it happen again."

His eyes were angry, but pleading too.

"I won't," I said. "I promise."

Luke nodded, and his hand went slack.

I turned to look at Annabeth, who managed to nod at Luke before wincing. She caught my stare and gave a faint smile, but it was resigned, as if she knew her fate.

"No. No. No. Annabeth, you can't let this happen. We'll get ambrosia and nectar. Please, just hang on." I cried, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I think… I always knew I'd play a part in this prophecy, that I'd be one of the four. Will you do something for me, please?" Her tone was soft and weak, but pleading.

"Of course I will, Wise Girl. But you're not going to die." I responded, tears freely streaming down my cheeks at this point.

She gave another half-hearted smile, and then leaned in for a kiss. I shared it with her, briefly, before she pulled away.

"Promise me you'll move on, Percy. I don't want you living in grief, or killing yourself to try to join me. I want you to live, and enjoy life." She stated softly, her voice breaking.

"I… I promise. I love you Annabeth. I'll always love you."I stutter, my mind reeling.

She gave a true smile this time, and closed her eyes. Her body lost its tenseness in my arms, and she slumped backward. The cursed blades had claimed their last victim, fulfilling the prophecy at last.

"No." I whisper, before bowing my head.

The gods arrived a few minutes later in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle.

What they found were Grover and I kneeling over the body of a broken half-blood, in the dim warm light of the hearth, with another in my hands.

"Percy," my father called, awe in his voice. "What… what is this?"

I turned and faced the Olympians.

"We need shrouds," I announced, my voice cracking as tears rolled down my face. "Shrouds for the son of Hermes and the daughter of Athena."


	2. Chapter 2 -- I Get Unexpected Support

**Authors Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. I'm thankful you guys decided to give me a chance, and I aim to not disappoint you. Also, the last chapter wasn't as much of a restated end of TLO as it was a rewritten part, to tie in with the Great Prophecy and Annabeth's death.**

_***minor spoilers***_

**This chapter mostly deals with wrapping up all the TLO storyline. I'm going to omit several parts, like Rachel becoming the Oracle. It'll happen, but just off-screen. Honestly speaking, I'm not sure how I'd play that scene now that the only other girl in Percy's love life (ATM) is gone. The oath scene was different. I decided that Hera, being goddess of family, would want to thank Percy at least a little for protecting hers. And without Annabeth, who disrespected her, she would kinder to him, enough for him to win her over with his fatal flaw of loyalty to his friends. Next scene will be the after party celebration, and more. It was getting too long for this chapter.**

_***spoilers end***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

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_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Mount Olympus, Throne Room**_

**Percy's POV**

The Three Fates themselves took Luke's and Annabeth's bodies.

I hadn't seen the old ladies in years, since I'd witnessed them snip a life thread at a roadside fruit stand when I was twelve. They'd scared me then, and they scared me now – three ghoulish grandmothers with bags of knitting needles and yarn.

One of them looked at me, and even though she didn't say anything, my life literally flashed before my eyes. Suddenly I was twenty. Then I was a middle-aged man. Then I turned old and withered. All the strength left my body, and I saw my own tombstone and an open grave, a coffin being lowered into the ground. All this happened in less than a second.

The Fate held up the snippet of blue yarn, while one sister held up the snippet of gray yarn and the other the snippet of dark green yarn-and I knew it was the same ones I'd seen four years ago, the lifelines I'd watched them snip. I had thought it was my life and that of my mother and someone else. Now I realized it was Luke's, Annabeth's, and Ethan's. They'd been showing me the lives that would have to be sacrificed to set things right.

They gathered up the heroes bodies. Luke's was now wrapped in a white-and-green shroud, with a caduceus symbol upon it. Annabeth's was gray-and-green (sea green, I noticed, stifling a sob), and displayed both an owl and a trident (tears formed in my eyes at that, knowing somehow that the trident was my father's doing somehow).Ethan's shroud, which had no body, was merely floating behind the two others, a dark green-and-gold masterpiece embroidered with a scale. The Fate's picked up the bodies and began carrying them out of the throne room.

"Wait", said Hermes and Athena almost simultaneously.

The messenger god was dressed in his classic outfit of white Greek robes, sandals, and helmet. The wings of his helm fluttered as he walked. The snakes George and Martha curled around his caduceus, murmuring, _Luke, poor Luke_.

I thought about May Castellan, alone in her kitchen, baking cookies and making sandwiches for a son who would never come home.

The wisdom goddess was dressed in a classic outfit of gray Greek robes, holding a spear and her shield Aegis aloft. Normally the shield would have me take a step back in fear, but I was so full of sorrow at the moment it just disgusted me. Her face, normally stoic, was in obvious grief.

I thought about Frederick Chase, the scientist and professor, waiting in his house, hoping to reconnect with his daughter who would now never come home.

Hermes unwrapped Luke's face and kissed his forehead. He murmured some words in Ancient Greek-a final blessing.

"Farewell," he whispered. Then he nodded and allowed the Fates to carry away his son's body.

Athena unraveled the shroud covering Annabeth's face, and tears streaked down her normally calm face at the sight. She muttered some words in Ancient Greek also-however, in addition to a final blessing; she muttered a plea for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. She then stepped back and allowed the Fates to go.

As they left, I thought about the Great Prophecy. The lines now made sense to me. _Heroes' souls, cursed blades shall reap. Four honored heroes made from death._ The heroes were obvious. The cursed blades were the knife he'd given Annabeth long ago – cursed because Luke had broken his promise and betrayed his friends, and the scythe of Kronos, an evil blade with wretched powers.

_A single choice shall end ones days._ My choice, to give him the knife, and to believe, as Annabeth had, that he was still capable of setting things right. _Olympus to preserve or raze._ By sacrificing himself, he had saved Olympus. Rachel was right. In the end, I wasn't really the hero. Luke was.

And I understood something else: When Luke had descended into the River Styx; he would've had to focus on something important that would hold him to his mortal life. Otherwise he would've dissolved. I had seen Annabeth, and I had a feeling he had too.

He had pictured that scene Hestia showed me-of himself in the good old days with Thalia and Annabeth, when he promised they would be a family. Hurting Annabeth in battle had shocked him into remembering that promise. It had allowed his mortal conscience to take over again, and defeat Kronos. His weak spot – his Achilles heel – had saved us all.

The next few hours were a blur. Somehow, even in my saddened and shell-shocked state, I remembered my promise to my mother. Zeus didn't even blink an eye when I told him my strange request. He snapped his fingers and informed me gently that the top of the Empire State Building was now lit up blue.

Most mortals would just have to wonder what it meant, but my mom would know: I had survived, Olympus was saved.

The gods set about repairing the throne room, which went surprisingly fast with twelve super-powerful beings at work. Grover cared for the wounded, and once the sky bridge re-formed, he greeted our friends who had survived. The tried to comfort me, but stopped when they saw my expression. The Cyclopes had saved Thalia from the fallen statue. She was on crutches, but otherwise she was okay.

Connor and Travis Stoll had made it through with only minor injuries. They promised Grover they hadn't even looted the city much. I did see them high-fiving each other afterward, though.

They told Grover and me my parents were fine, though they weren't allowed into Mount Olympus. Mrs. O'Leary had dug Chiron out of the rubble and rushed him off to camp. The Stolls looked kind of worried about the old centaur, but at least he was alive.

Nico di Angelo came into Olympus to a hero's welcome, his father right behind him, despite the fact that Hades was only supposed to visit Olympus on winter solstice. The god of the dead looked stunned when his relatives clapped him on the back. I doubted he'd ever gotten such an enthusiastic welcome before.

Hera and Hephaestus passed by me. The God of the Forges walked by, congratulating me softly under his breath.

Hera stopped at me, however, and her proud and haughty face seemed to soften a little as she saw me, blinking back tears even now. "While I never liked that little girl, I will admit I didn't want her to die. Perhaps she truly was a hero, in the end. I suppose I owe a debt of gratitude. In addition, I am the goddess of family, and you have done a service to mine. I will remember that, Perseus Jackson."

And with that, she walked away, leaving me more shocked than before.

While I stood there, contemplating whether _Hera_ of all people had just apologized and complimented _me_, conch horns blew. The army of Poseidon marched into the throne room.

"Percy!" Tyson yelled. He charged toward me with his arms open. Fortunately he'd shrunk back to normal size, so his hug was like getting hit by a tractor, not the entire farm.

"You are not dead!" he said. "Where is Annabeth?"

He then paused and seemed to notice the tears that were gathering in my eyes.

He instantly hugged me again.

"I'm sorry, brother." And then he released me, and went over to Grover to talk about Typhon.

The conch horns blasted again. The Cyclopes parted, and my father strode into the throne room in his battle armor, his trident glowing in his hands.

"Tyson!" he roared. "Well done, my son. And Percy-" His face grew weary and sad. He stepped forward and embraced me without another word. I realized, feeling a little embarrassed, that I'd never actually hugged my dad before. He was warm – like a regular human, and he smelled of a salty beach and fresh sea air.

"I am sorry for your loss, my boy. I do not know whether you noticed the symbol upon her shroud. I had formed it there as a symbol of the love and devotion the daughter of wisdom showed toward the son of the sea. She was a brave hero, and if she does not receive Elysium, there is almost no one worthy of the honor." He was so kind, I'll admit I just broke down in his arms somewhat.

"I know, dad. I just miss her, and wish that things could have turned out differently, that she had never died." I choked out, suddenly realizing just how terrified and scared I had been the last few days, and how much that'd increased since I realized Annabeth died.

"Dad-"

"Shhh," he said. "No hero is above fear, Percy. And you have risen above every hero. Not even Hercules ever accomplished as much as you did."

Just then, a voiced called out, loud but gentle for some reason.

"Poseidon!" Zeus called.

He started across the room at my dad and me while all the other gods filed in and took their seats. Even Hades was present, sitting on a simple stone guest chair at the foot of the hearth. Nico sat cross-legged on the ground at his dad's feet.

"Well, Poseidon?" Zeus stated slightly grumpily. "I would start the council now. Will you join us?"

I thought Poseidon was going to get annoyed, but he just looked at me questioningly. I stepped backward a little, and he nodded. "I would be honored to, Lord Zeus."

I guess miracles do happen, though I was touched by how much affection and kindness all the deities were showing me. I saw sympathetic glances my way from most of the room, apart from Hermes and Athena, who took their thrones without a glance at the world around them.

Poseidon strode over to his fishing seat, and the Olympian Council convened.

While Zeus was talking – some long speech about the bravery of the gods, etc.

"As for my brothers," Zeus said, "we are thankful" – he cleared his throat like the words were hard to get out. "Erm, we are thankful for the aid of Hades."

The lord of the dead nodded. He had a smug look on his face, but I figure he'd earned the right. He patted his son Nico on the shoulders, and Nico looked happier than I'd ever seen him.

"And, of course," Zeus continued, though he looked like his pants were smoldering,

"We must . . . um . . . thank Poseidon."

"I'm sorry, brother," Poseidon said. "What was that?"

"We must thank Poseidon," Zeus growled. "Without whom . . . it would've been difficult-"

"Difficult?" Poseidon asked innocently.

"Impossible," Zeus said. "Impossible to defeat Typhon."

I was staring with a little confusion on my face, when Grover nudged and pointed at the hearth. An image of mist was showing, showing the fight against Typhon. I shuddered despite myself when I saw Typhon, and allowed myself a small almost-smile when Poseidon's army burst from the Hudson. It seemed my plea had worked, and my dad had come through.

The gods murmured agreement and pounded their weapons in approval.

"Which leaves us," Zeus said, "with only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes, who defended Olympus - even if there are a few dents in my throne."

He called Thalia forward first, since she was his daughter, and promised her help in filling the Hunters' ranks.

Artemis smiled. "You have done well, my lieutenant. You have made me proud, and all those Hunters who perished in my service will never be forgotten. They will achieve Elysium, I am sure."

She glared pointedly at Hades.

He shrugged. "Probably."

"Okay," Hades grumbled. "I'll streamline their application process."

Thalia beamed with pride. "Thank you, my lady." She bowed to the gods, even Hades, and then limped over to stand by Artemis's side.

After Tyson and Grover were called, the former becoming General of the Cyclops Army and the latter a Lord of the Wild, it came to me.

"PERCY JACKSON!" Poseidon announced. My name echoed around the chamber.

All talking died down. The room was silent except for the crackle of the hearth fire.

Everyone's eyes were on me-all the gods, the demigods, the Cyclopes, the spirits.

I walked into the middle of the throne room. Hestia smiled at me reassuringly. She was in the form of a girl now, and she seemed happy and content to be sitting by her fire again. Artemis, sitting in her throne, gave a small smile in my direction. It was soft and gentle, and I was initially stunned at it, but recovered quickly. Their smiles gave me courage to keep walking.

First I bowed to Zeus. Then I knelt at my father's feet.

"Rise, my son," Poseidon said.

I stood uneasily.

"A great hero must be rewarded," Poseidon said. "Is there anyone here who would deny that my son is deserving of a reward?"

I stood there waiting, while my mind had thoughts of the three real heroes who saved Olympus.

"The Council agrees," Zeus said. "Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods."

I just stood there, my mind blanking. "Any gift?"

Zeus nodded grimly. "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you want it, it shall be yours. The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, but, Perseus Jackson – if you wish it – you shall be made a god, immortal and undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time."

I stared at him, stunned. "Um . . . a god?"

Zeus rolled his eyes. "A dimwitted god, apparently. But yes. With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."

"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash him to a pulp as often as I want, and he'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."

Surprisingly, it was Aphrodite who spoke up. "Ares! Percy just lost Annabeth! Show some sensitivity!"

The gods all shifted in their thrones at that, some frowning. Lady Athena seemed to have heard the name of her daughter, and looked up. She seemed to notice me for the first time.

"Perseus Jackson." She called out, her voice impossibly soft.

"Ma'am?" was my hesitant reply. Was she about to blame me for her death?

"Thank you," was her quiet reply, which silenced the already quiet room even further. The goddess Athena was _not_ known for apologizing. Then again, neither was Hera. This day was full of shocks and surprises.

"I… I don't understand. I failed to protect… to protect Annabeth. She died in front of me and I couldn't do anything about it." I started stammering.

She managed to give a faint semblance of a smile, and opened her mouth to respond when someone beat her to it.

Lady Artemis, who I never would have guessed in a million years would have comforted a _man_, stated "Her death was not your fault, Perseus. She was fated to die here, as part of the prophecy. And do not tarnish her or yourself by downplaying your actions. You defeated the Titan Lord by fulfilling the prophecy. You are just as much of a hero as she is, if not more."

Several gods widened their eyes at the goddess of the hunt, but remained silent.

Zeus cleared his throat, which sounded like distant thunder.

"I believe we were discussing Perseus' ascension to godhood?" he stated, only slightly annoyed. He stared at Athena and Artemis.

I spoke up then, finally realizing what I must do, a line from the Great Prophecy springing to mind. _An oath shall be made of a final breath._

"No thank you, my lord."

The gods, who were eyeing Athena and Artemis questioningly, turned, shocked. My response seemed to shock Hermes out of his slump, and Athena looked up, her eyes widening. Artemis' expression was hard to make out, as it flitted from shock to something, briefly, before becoming a passive mask.

Zeus turned his head slightly back to me, his face inquisitive. "You are … turning down our generous gift?" he questioned, with a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.

"Before we can even decide what to do about me, my lord, there is another matter that must be completed. I will use my gift upon this if required, but I ask for an oath by all of you upon the Styx."

The gods looked shocked and incredulous, curious about what I was referring to. Only Athena seemed to realize, her eyes flashing with a spark that they had lost since seeing her daughter's body. Artemis remained stoic, though her eyebrow raised slightly.

"And what would that be, boy? Do you not trust us?" Zeus asked, his tone demanding.

"It is not even difficult, my lord, but the prophecy demands it. Also, someone once told me," I said, looking at Hades, "you should always get a solemn oath."

Hades shrugged. "Guilty."

Zeus growled. "Very well, but only because of the prophecy. I assume this is the oath it refers to, then? You know what it is?"

"Yes, Lord Zeus." I responded, my tone level for the first time in a while.

"Fine, In the name of the Council, we swear by the River Styx to stay to the oath as long as it is within our power." Zeus grumbled, the other deities quickly muttering assent.

Thunder boomed, and the deal was made.

"From now on, I want to you properly recognize the children of the gods," I said. "All of the children… of all the gods."

The Olympians shifted uncomfortably.

"Percy," my father said, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents," I said. "They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."

Zeus's nostrils flared. "You dare accuse-"

"No more undetermined children," I said. "I want you to promise to claim your children – all your demigod children – by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."

"Now, wait just a moment," Apollo said, but I was on a roll.

"And the minor gods," I said. "Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe-they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored. Calypso, Leto, and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades-"

"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed.

No, my lord," I said quickly. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that.

No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods.

And dissolve the pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is the oath."

Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"

"Percy," Poseidon said, "you ask much. You presume much."

"I hold you to your oath," I said. "All of you."

I got a lot of steely looks. Artemis stared at me inquisitively.

It was Athena who spoke up: "The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson, I have had my doubts about you, but your recent actions, alongside this oath, have proven me wrong. I move that we accept the boy's plan."

Zeus grumbled, and Hermes spoke up for the first time since entering the room.

"All in favor", he stated hollowly. Several people jumped at his tone.

All the gods raised their hands.

Thunder boomed again, signifying the oath that they had all just sworn themselves to.

"Um, thanks," I stated. I thought about my friends from camp: Charles Beckendorf, Michael Yew, and Silena Beauregard, alongside so many others who were now dead. I thought about Ethan Nakamura and Luke. I hoped that now, at least, they would not have died in vain.

I turned to go, but before I could take a step, Hera called out.

"We have not yet discussed your gift, boy."

I froze, and turned back around. Many of the gods had faces of extreme shock on, and I couldn't blame them. Lady Hera wasn't exactly known for being kind to demigods.

Zeus blinked, and responded warily. "What do you mean by that, my dear wife? His gift was the oath he had us swear."

Hera raised an eyebrow in silent disdain. I'm not sure who was more shocked: Me, or the rest of the council. Here was the one goddess who hated half-bloods, and here she was saying I deserved a gift.

"That was the oath required by the prophecy that he make of us. He deserves a true reward for the services he has accomplished for our family. Or would you deny that Perseus is a hero who has surpassed all the rest?"

If my jaw could hit the floor, by this point it would have. This action was true of most of the gods and goddesses present.

Poseidon was first to recover. "My son has long since surpassed all the other heroes. Not even Hercules did as much for Olympus, or preformed such amazing feats."

At any other time, I would have blushed and stammered a denial, but I was still shocked by recent events.

Artemis stated in response, "Yes. This man has given much to Olympus, and has brought peace to us at great sacrifice. If that rude bastard Hercules can become a god, then Percy here deserves at least that much."

Athena nodded, and added "He protected Olympus, and gave his full effort into saving us, even with the loss my daughter weighing heavily upon him. It would be unwise to ignore such an effort."

I'm pretty sure I saw one of the campers faint from disbelief, and if I hadn't been the subject of this, I'm pretty sure I would have already. The three goddesses who hated me most were arguing in my favor.

Zeus slumped back into his throne, and stated. "Very well then, I acknowledge your arguments, wife and my daughters. I ask of you again, Perseus Jackson. Will you become a god?"

I stood ramrod straight in shock, but found the voice to respond. "But… my family and friends... I couldn't just _leave_ them."

Hera smiled – she actually _smiled_—and stated "Such devotion to his family. Perhaps I truly was mistaken about you, child. I would speak with you after this."

If I could become more shocked, I would have, but I managed to reply "Okay…"

Apollo then spoke up, smiling as he did so. "I have an idea. Why not make Percy immortal, but exempt from the ancient laws, like Arty's little hunters."

"Don't call me Arty, Apollo! But you gave a good idea for once in your immortal life." the moon goddess responded.

"Indeed." My dad said smiling, "If he swore loyalty to Olympus, then that should pose no problems."

Zeus opened and closed his mouth several times, like a fish out of water. He then sighed and looked directly at me.

"Well then, child? Do not make me repeat myself. If you do not accept or choose an alternate gift, it would be most unhealthy for all of us." He stated, annoyed.

I then realized that the only real answer was yes. Immortality? It seems like a cruel gift to offer me, upon the wake of Annabeth's death. But I couldn't refuse, not after all of this. And being immortal would help me have some time to think and get over her death. I thought about the Three Fates, and the way I'd seen my life flash by. I could avoid all that. No aging and no death.

I then spoke up.

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3 -- I Make Amends

**Authors Note: Hello again, readers. I'm sorry for missing a few days in updating the story; I caught this horrible stomach bug. I'm still sick from it, but I'll keep trying to update. And thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I'm surprised that I already have over a thousand views, increasing daily. **

_***spoilers***_

**So this scene was meant to deal with people's reactions. I threw in Triton on a whim, please let me know what you thought of it. I'm not too sure how to write his character, as he has only a minor role in the books. With Hera I'm even more so, but I tried to make her a bit nicer than in canon. As I stated last chapter, I thought that with Annabeth gone and Percy having done her eternal family a favor, she'd be willing to be polite to him. Because of that, and Percy's awesome kindness and loyalty, the outcome is inevitable.**

***spoiler end***

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Mount Olympus, Throne Room**_

**Percy's POV**

As I gave my response, Zeus tensed up, as if he expected me to deny, yet again. When he realized what I stated, he nodded almost gratefully.

"Let it be done, then. Perseus, I require your oath to Olympus. With my acknowledgement of it, you shall gain immortality akin to that of the Hunters. Let it be known that this is the gift the Savoir of Olympus has received from the Council." Zeus spoke in a booming voice, with thunder sounding the background.

Something my dad once told me came to mind, and I had to stop myself from cracking a grin due to the severity of the situation. _Your uncle, I wager, could have done well as the god of theater._

"What do I need to say, uncle?" I responded, unsure of what I needed to do. Did I have to swear some oath to lay off serving Titans, like how the hunters need to swear to not date boys? I almost laughed out loud at my train of thought, before realizing how foolish it'd be at the moment.

"Repeat after me, boy." Zeus responded, his eyes flashing.

"I, Perseus Jackson, pledge myself to the Olympian Council." He uttered.

"I, Perseus Jackson, pledge myself to the Olympian Council." I repeated.

"I swear to always defend Olympus, and protect it from its foes." Poseidon stated next, his eyes looking at me compassionately.

"I… I swear to always fend Olympus, and protect it from its foes." I reiterated, stuttering slightly.

The gods murmured amongst themselves, and stated in one voice, "We, the Council of the Olympian Gods, accept your oath, and bestow immortality upon you as long as the oath is binding."

I involuntarily shuddered as a cold chill of power spread through my back. I could feel the rush of energy, the ability to do anything, to run and jump and fight forever.

"I feel… stronger." I muttered, not really thinking.

"And now, it is done. Now, it is time for a celebration. We must honor these brave heroes!" Zeus boomed, grinning slightly.

* * *

_**Mount Olympus, Eternal City**_

**Percy's POV**

I said once before that if you had the chance, go for Olympian parties. They're like nothing else on earth. Ah, I guess they wouldn't be, since Olympus is in the sky? Whatever, you know what I mean.

I wandered aimlessly through the party, still a bit shocked by recent events. It stunned me how rapidly things progressed, from Annabeth's death to my immortalization.

Someone stepped in front of me, and I stopped so I wouldn't run into them. With a start, I realized who it was.

"Triton," I said, surprised. Last time I saw the god, he was underwater, and had a fish-tail. Now, on land, he looked like a younger version of Poseidon. I knew it was him only because no one else looks that much like my dad apart from me.

"Perseus" He acknowledged with a tip of his head. "While I will be the first to admit I do not like you very much, Jackson, you're immortal now."

"Umm… thanks?" I said, unsure as to how I should respond to that.

"Since you're immortal, that means I'll be stuck with you for eternity. I thought it best, then, to develop cordial relations, so that we do not embarrass our father with our interactions." Triton stated calmly. He stretched his arm out for a handshake.

"I am Triton, Heir of Poseidon, Messenger and Herald of the Sea."

I took his hand and shook, responding "Umm… I'm Percy Jackson, half-blood son of Poseidon."

At this, Triton gave a faint smile, and responded, "It seems you truly are as modest as I thought. Perhaps I can actually get along with you. In any case, do not be modest. You are Percy Jackson, Savior of Olympus, Defeater of Kronos and Hyperion, bearer of the Curse of Achilles, slayer of more monsters than Heracles himself, and _favored_ son of Poseidon."

With a flash of insight, I realized why he sounded so bitter. "Oh. Umm… sorry about that. I'm sure when dad said that I'm his favorite, he meant of his demigod children, or something. You're probably his favorite immortal son."

Triton gave a bitter smile, and responded. "I know I am not the nicest person, Jackson. Regardless, when I heard my father state that he favored a demigod child over his immortal heir, it annoyed me, to put it bluntly. I suppose that I apologize for taking it out on you. It is not your fault, eh?"

With that, he walked away into the crowd, leaving me to ponder his words.

Unfortunately, I didn't have long to ponder them before yet another person called out my name.

"Jackson." Hera called out, standing in front of me.

I tensed up slightly. I didn't have the best record with the Queen of the Gods, and as far as I knew, she didn't exactly like me very much.

"Oh, calm down. I was the one who called the gods into providing you a gift, have you forgotten?" She chided, disapprovingly.

"If I may, Lady Hera, can I ask why? You're not exactly known for –"I started asking.

"—Liking demigods, or indeed liking you in particular?" She finished, cutting me off.

"Yeah, that." I lamely finish.

"As I stated before the awards ceremony, I felt… sorry, for your loss. While I didn't like that Annie girl—"she started saying.

"Annabeth", I stated, interrupting her.

"Yes, that's her. While I didn't like her very much, I wished merely to make her show some respect. I didn't wish for her to die. As for not liking demigod brats, well, I would that would be obvious. I cannot look upon that Thalia girl, or indeed half of the Olympian Council, without being reminded of my husband's unfaithfulness." She stated in a grumpy tone.

I responded warily, suddenly realizing that she must feel worse than Amphitrite, who I had met earlier this week in my father's palace. "It's not really our fault, though, Lady Hera. We can't choose whether we're born or not."

She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh? What would you have me feel, then, demigod? I cannot look at the council without seeming more of my husband's children with other women than my own."

I responded awkwardly, "Umm, I'm not sure. But I can say for sure that it's not our fault. If anything, well, if anything, it's our fathers' fault. I was just speaking with Triton, ma'am. He was… jealous, I suppose, that Poseidon called me his favorite son. I suppose I would be too, in his position. But he realized that it's not my fault that my dad likes me more than him."

The Queen of Heaven smiled again, and stated "I see. I will ponder your words, Perseus. Perhaps there is some truth to them, and my decision to provide you with a gift will prove to be wise after all. Until then, do not disappoint me."

She walked away into the crowd, which parted before her in respect and a bit of fear.

I wandered throughout the crowd a bit, hoping that the strange conversations were over for a bit, and I could be allowed to honor the fallen heroes in silence.

Sadly, my luck wouldn't last, as I was accosted by both Athena and Artemis, who appeared out of nowhere in the crowd of partygoers.

Athena started the conversation, her eyes uncharacteristically reddened, saying "Percy Jackson. I realize that you are grieving right now, for the loss of your friends and my daughter, and came here only so I could provide you with a personal gift from me. For your services to Olympus and myself, I would have you carry my blessing, to aid you in strategy and provide a boost of wisdom in times of need."

I was unsure how to respond to that, and said something clever like "Umm… Ok."

The goddess of wisdom rolled her eyes, and placed a finger on my forehead. My body glowed pale gray for a second. She then turned and walked away, as the crowd parted faster than it did for Hera, as if she was wielding Aegis.

Artemis nodded at our interaction, and then turned to me. "Percy Jackson. Know that you are always welcome in the hunt, as one of the few good men in this world. Thalia speaks highly of you, and I am intrigued by some of the stories I have heard. The hunters respect you for your actions both now and a few years ago, and will treat you with respect."

I was surprised by this, but managed to respond with something like "Thank you, Lady Artemis. It is a great honor."

She then smiled gently and walked away, melting into the crowd alongside her hunters.

I enjoyed the party for a while longer, talking with some of the minor godlings and campers who survived. We comforted each other about our losses, though we were all saddened by Annabeth's sacrifice.

The party raged on for hours, as the city of Manhattan woke up to the aftermath of the battle.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hey. Hope you liked the chapter, even if it was shorter than the others. This didn't draw from anything in the book, and was all me. I hoped you liked it, I'm not too sure of it myself. I'm unsure what exactly I should do for the next chapter. I'm debating whether to do a time-skip next chapter or to go for another chapter before skipping, as to wrap up interactions with camp and his parents. My real problem, though, is that I really like the idea that **_**The Queen's Champion**_** uses, of Percy going around saving half-bloods, as it provides a good excuse for him to come to the hunters and meet Artemis. I'd hate to copy it, though, even with permission. If you have any ideas, please respond in the reviews. **


	4. Chapter 4 -- I Meet the Neighbors

**Author's Note: Hey readers. I'm surprised by the massive surge in reviews, follows, and favorites (Over 100 followers and favorites, and over 3,000 views!). I think it's because Anaklusmos14 posted a recommendation of my work on the latest chapter of his amazing story, Altered Destines. I recommend it if you like Percy x Zoe pairings, by the way. In any case, thanks for your responses, I combined a couple of the ones I saw that I liked, mainly the early ones.**

_***Spoiler alert***_

**As I said before, I liked the idea of Percy going around saving half-bloods, but didn't want something copying anything I had read, like **_**The Queens Champion**_**. So I decided to make him go around and pick up god's children, like Hermes asks of him in the book. He also picks up after satyrs identify a demigod at a school. Any he runs into in the wilderness, obviously, he helps. I like it because it allows for him to *accidentally* pick up a roman demigod. I decided on him running into Frank, son of Mars, simply because it makes things easier later on.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend! **

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Wilderness, Washington State**_

**Percy's POV**

"Sorry Hermes. Mary doesn't seem that interested in joining the hunters. Kayla, daughter of Hecate, does, though. Pass that along?" I smirked, amused.

"Aww. Come on, she's only 12. She can't have a boy in her life already. I don't want to worry about her!" Hermes pretended to pout through the Iris-message.

I laughed at his antics, and responded "Like you said. She's only 12, she's not thinking about boys. She just doesn't feel like she'd have a lot of chances for stealing and pranking with the hunters."

Hermes grinned slightly. "That's my girl. I see her point. And yeah, I'll pass that along. Hecate was hoping you picked up her girl, she was bugging me earlier."

I smiled again, and started to respond when someone crashed into our camp. It was during sunset, and most of the kids I'd picked up were over by the campfire, toasting some marshmallows I had brought along.

After the Titan War, the gods asked me to help guide their kids to camp, since I was immortal and invulnerable. My forcing them to swear the Oath of the Prophecy made them realize that picking favorites or neglecting demigods isn't such a good idea. So I went around picking up demigods from satyrs, or ones that the gods messaged me about. Normally, Hermes would inform me, as he was the Messenger of the Gods. I found it fun, and I've been doing it for about a year now.

It's not like I spend all my time in the wild, though. I still come to camp and teach campers swordfighting and canoeing, once in a while. I just took this as a much-needed break, and then realized how much I enjoyed it. No one really complained, as they all needed something to do after the war, and were happy I found something.

In any case, I whirled around, one hand drifting toward my magic pen, Riptide, the joke I was about to share with Hermes forgotten.

It was a bulky Asian teen, clad in a t-shirt and jeans and carrying a bow, some mortal arrows in his quiver. He burst through the clearing pursued by a hellhound, which was snarling and growling.

"Ahhhhh! Bad giant hell dog!" he shouted, before tripping over one of the half-blood's backpacks and face-faulting.

His head hit a rock, and I winced slightly. That _had_ to hurt.

I pulled out my pen as the kids were still turning and getting up, uncapping it as it sprung into my elegant blade, Riptide. Its original name was Anaklusmos, the current that takes one by surprise.

As I stepped forward, I completed the statement with words a friend of mine used to name the blade, swinging it around slightly in my hand._ And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea_.

I stepped between the kid and the hellhound, my mind analyzing the best way to take it down, part of my blessing from Athena.

In one swift motion, I swung my blade and turned the monster into dust, sending its essence back to Tartarus. I then capped the blade and turned to the kid, stretching out an arm to help him up.

He was clearly a demigod, I could tell that much. I'm not sure why, but since that day in the throne room, I was able to tell whether someone was of divine origins or not. It was just something about them. I don't know whether it was Athena's blessing or some hidden gift of immortality, but it was useful for finding half-bloods.

"Hey there, dude. I'm assuming by the words you were shouting at the hellhound that you don't know you're a half-blood?" I state curiously. The gods kept to their oath of claiming kids by thirteen so far, and had been surprisingly good at doing so well before then, and this guy looked about 14 or 15.

"Um… No? My grandmother told me I was a half-blood, but I never really saw anything like that before." The guy admitted.

"I see. That was a hellhound, then. They usually inhabit the Fields of Punishment down in Hades, but after some recent events, loads of monsters are still out here in the wilds. Oh, my name's Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. I'm 17." I state, smiling slightly. _I'm always going to look like this, though._

"Ok… I'm Frank Zhang. My parents are dead," he said, his tone slightly fragile. I winced inwardly. He continued "I'm turning thirteen soon."

I must have looked surprised, because he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I look a bit big for my age. I'm really clumsy, too."

I gave a real smile this time, and turned back to the other kids, waving them over to meet the new guy.

Suddenly I hear Hermes shout out from the Iris-message. Right, I forgot to exit that.

"Percy!"

The kids pause, and Frank looks bewilderedly at the mist image.

Hermes looked shocked at the sight of Frank, as if he couldn't believe he existed.

"What is it, Lord Hermes?" I asked curiously.

His entire body flickered for a second, which only added to my confusion. His jogging clothes changed color to a lighter shade, and he looked a bit leaner and taller.

"I would speak to you alone. Kids, Frank, go into your tents or something." His voice was more formal somehow.

I stated awkwardly, "Frank, you can use my tent for now. It has the trident on the side."

Frank nodded and stepped away, as did the others. They might be new to the whole demigod thing, but they knew better than to disagree. Hermes was a god, even if he was laidback most of the time, like his step-brother Apollo.

Hermes was muttering to himself, and then seemed to realize something. He turned his head slightly, and narrowed his eyes.

"Percy. This is not a matter you should have been introduced to."

"What? What is?" I asked, puzzled.

"This is a secret stretching back a few thousand years, to your Civil War. It is not mine to tell. It is Juno's meddling."

"Juno? You mean Hera's roman name?" I asked, positively bewildered by now.

He nodded slightly, and then waved his hand. The mist image shimmered before refocusing. When it came into focus, Hermes was gone. Instead was Hera, the Queen of the Gods. But she looked a bit different, like Hermes had near the end of their chat.

She had a goatskin cloak on, and was dressed in blue with gold jewelry on her wrists. Her face was stern and stately, and she held a gladius in one hand, and a lotus-topped staff in the other.

"Hello, Percy. Are you doing well?" she greeted warmly, like a mother would to a son.

After that first talk on Olympus, I'd spoken with Hera a lot more, and had managed to do what thousands of years of Olympians couldn't.

I got her to stop disliking demigods on principle, and managed to make her realize we're in no way to blame for being born, and that taking it out on us just causes mutual hatred. She now got annoyed at our godly parents instead, but it's a start.

After all of that, she now sends me to pick up a few demigods who she liked for some reason or another, and even a kid of her husband (I was surprised, let me tell you that), and we had developed a decent friendly relationship.

The scary part is that she's met my mom (_very_ long story) and seemingly _liked_ her. That's not surprising, considering my mom is the best in the universe, but even I never thought that she'd win over Lady Hera. Scarily enough, they trade stories and talk, from what I've heard from both of them.

On a side note, Poseidon hasn't followed his brother's example and used the loss of the Pact of the Big Three as an excuse to sire more kids, which was nice to hear.

In any case, I responded with a friendly "Hello, Aunt Hera. Do you mind explaining what this is all about?"

Her smile disappeared faintly, and she shifted into a posture I could only describe as military in nature.

"Frank Zhang is a Roman demigod, Percy. He is a son of my son, Mars. And in this form, I am Juno, not Hera."

I stood there confused, listening while Hera, sorry, _Juno_ explained to me about the split between Greece and Rome and the separated camps.

"So… There's a whole other camp out there for Roman demigods, who we've never met on quests because of the mist, and the gods keeping us apart?" I asked warily.

"Correct, nephew. Your two camps always caused war and destruction when they met. The Civil War was fought with you both on opposite sides," explained Juno, smiling sadly.

I stood there for a second, processing the information. I then nodded firmly.

"Okay. So where is this camp? If I encounter any Roman half-bloods, just tell me and I'll drop them off separately from the Greek demigods."

Juno looked surprised, and then sighed resignedly.  
"I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. Very well, I'll tell you. Call on my sister to transport the others to Camp Half-Blood, and I will send you and Frank to Camp Jupiter, the Roman camp. For further knowledge, the main entrance is in a service tunnel near the main Caldecott Tunnel in San Francisco. It was placed there to keep an eye on Mount Orthys, similar to how your camp is placed to defend Mount Olympus."

She raised a hand and slashed through the message with the gladius, smiling faintly as the mist-image vanished.

I nodded, and turned to the campfire in the center of the clearing. Sending a quick prayer to Hestia, goddess of the hearth and flames, I asked her for a favor in my head.

_Can you transport the Greek demigods to Camp Half-Blood? Juno/Hera is going to transport the Roman half-blood and I to Camp Jupiter._

The flames flickered and jumped into the air for a second, rising to my height, and then dimmed down. All the people and their stuff disappeared except me. I saw a face in the fire, smiling gently.

I waved to Hestia, and called out "Frank?"

Frank got out of my tent, and seemed surprised to see everything gone. He asked "Wait, where'd everyone go?"

I heard a voice in my head, which sounded like Lady Hera.

_Don't explain Camp Half-Blood. As of now, you are the only demigod to know of both camps, and the gods intend to keep it that way. I had to get permission from my dear husband. Thankfully, that child of his you rescued swayed the vote in your favor. He was most surprised to hear I told you about him, you know?_

I responded to Frank, saying "I asked the gods to send them back. They're, um, Guardians of Olympus, who protect the eternal city from harm. I was taking them out for some training. They serve Lady Her-Juno, and Lord Neptune. Yeah, that's his name. Anyways, you showed up, so I sent them back so that I can get you to camp."

He looked a bit confused, but nodded. I then bowed my head slightly, and whispered slightly under my breath.

"Aunt Hera? Now, please. And I hope you didn't use that as blackmail."

She responded in my head a microsecond later.

_Of course not! I merely pointed out that since I spared his young daughter by yet _another_ woman, and didn't do anything unsavory toward either, he owed me a little favor, which I cashed in. It was perfectly valid reasoning on my part._

And with that, the world blurred. I felt the added weight on my back as my backpack got slung on my shoulder, my tent and stuff inside. I knew it was pointless to argue against a god or goddess who was convinced they were right, so I decided to drop it for now.

A moment later, we materialized outside a service tunnel, startling two guards in Roman armor. Frank somehow stumbled, but I caught his arm.

One of them called out to us "Halt! Identify yourselves!"

I stepped forward, Frank cowering slightly behind me as they raised their weapons. His bow was slung across his back, but his arrows were gone for some reason. I guess Hera didn't like them or something.

"My name is Percy Jackson. I'm the Son of Neptune, Hero of Olympus, aides to the gods, finder of demigods, slayer of various beasts. I seek an audience with the Praetors of Rome."

I didn't know what I to say, but Hera spoke through me, guiding my answer.

The guards froze, while I noticed Frank out of the corner of my eye stare at me incredulously.

One of the guards ran off, only to return with two friends who took the place of the original guards, as the old ones escorted us into the camp.

It was beautiful, but I still prefer Camp Half-Blood. As I was walking, I stopped suddenly, with Hera's shout. _Don't cross the river while the water flows! You will lose your Curse of Achilles, and that would be problematic!_

The guards were wading across the river, while I stood there on the bank. According to the sign, it was the Little Tiber, symbolic of the original River Tiber in Rome. Frank started following the guards through the river, before noticing I had stopped. He turned with a confused expression on his face, raising an eyebrow as if he was saying, _what now, dude?_

I shook my head slightly, and then muttered under my breath. "Okay, then. Can I just stop the flow of water with my powers and cross safely?"

She responded with a _Yes_, and I willed the waters to part. The river was tough and hated being restrained, but I had manipulated the waters of the Styx and the Lethe. After them, the Little Tiber proved no match.

Grinning slightly, I made my way across. Frank shook his head and followed, slipping behind me.

"Couldn't you have done that before I started crossing? My feet are wet." He complained jokingly.

I tapped his shoulder and willed him dry, causing him to blink in astonishment before just sighing. "There," I joked.

The guards stopped somewhere on what Juno told me was the Field of Mars, with two people in purple cloaks standing in front of a crowd of warriors with purple t-shirts and swords.

_They're Praetors, the leaders of the camp._ Hera advised into my head.

I nodded slightly and stepped forward into their questioning glances. "As I said to the guards, I am Percy Jackson. I am a Hero of Olympus, the Son of Neptune, Aide to the Gods, Finder of Demigods, Slayer of various Monsters, and –"

A voice cut me off, calling out, "And beloved immortal demigod of all of the Olympians, including myself."

I turned slightly to see Hera standing behind me, towering at a godly height of fifteen feet, dressed in her Roman aspect of Juno.

The Romans all bowed, while I inclined my head. "Aunt Juno."

She nodded at me. "Nephew, it is good to see you in person again." She then turned to the Romans, and assumed her military stance again.

"Romans, heed my words wisely! Perseus here shall come to your camp from time to time. I expect him to be treated as you would treat any of us, with the full respect and honors of the legion."

One of the praetors, a girl around my age who had appeared momentarily startled when my name was stated, stepped forward and inclined her head respectfully.

She asked, "My name is Reyna, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion of New Rome. Milady, what exactly does Percy do outside of New Rome, if I may be so bold as to ask? It is the only safe place for the children of the gods."

I smiled slightly at that. _It's the only safe place for Romans. We Greeks have a much more awesome camp._

He does deeds for us when we require, such as slaying monsters and titans who were aligned with my father, Saturn, during the war. One of these tasks now includes bringing demigods the gods claim to the legion, providing protection for them as they travel the country." Juno spoke regally, gesturing toward me.

A blond kid clutching a teddy bear had opened his mouth at my declaration, but his jaw had dropped comically at the words "slaying titans". He shook his head, and asked in a timid voice.

"Yes milady. Does he carry any letters of recommendation? Does he have any parents or relatives in the camp that will vouch for him?"

Juno raised an eyebrow at that, but responded, "He has no letters of recommendation from former legionaries, augur. As for his vouching, perhaps this will suffice."

She smiled slightly, and nodded at the sky. A bright light flashed above me.

The legion gasped and stepped back, and that augur kid fainted. I looked up slightly, and my jaw dropped.

Dozens of swirling symbols of claiming floated above me. They were used for claiming kids in Camp Half-Blood, but it'd be impossible for me to be the son of this many people. I noticed a Trident flashing the center, the symbol of my father. Around it was a peacock feather, for Hera, a caduceus, for Hermes, a golden bow, for Apollo, and… a silver bow for Artemis? Huh. Also there was a dove feather for Aphrodite, an owl for Athena, a hammer for Hephaestus and even a flame for Hestia. Around those were the symbols of the minor gods whose kids I helped, like Hecate and Nemesis, Iris and Morpheus.

Talk about a flashy entrance.

**Authors Note: Hope you liked it. Sorry it took so long, I waited a bit for reviews, then spent a while planning. I ended with a cliffhanger simply to take some time to organize my plans. I'm thinking next he'll meet some people in the legion, then leave to ask Artemis about the claiming symbol, and to see whether the new girls he was going to take to the hunters joined or not, and how they're doing. Next chapter, I might add a little Pertamis? I might throw in some Artemis POV, and show the beginnings of a crush. A definite friendship by this point, but it'll take some time before a crush develops, at least until the point that anyone can recognize it. And you know, she's an eternal maiden, so she has no clue what the emotions she's feeling are.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review, recommend, and wait for updates! I'll try to get one in tomorrow, but it might take until Friday.**


	5. Chapter 5 -- Rome and Hunting

**Authors Note: Hey guys. As always, I'm impressed by the reviews, followers/favorites, and views. I tried to take into account some of the recent reviews posted for the chapter. As always, thanks for reading.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**I promised last chapter some Pertamis in this chapter. I put a good friendship between them, and a bit of Artemis' viewpoint. Hopefully that pleases you guys. I figured that since Artemis was a maiden goddess, and didn't understand love, she'd be more oblivious than Percy.**

**I was unsure how to really leave Percy at the Roman camp, so I decided to just do a time-skip. I hope you guys are fine with that, since it was an annoying internal debate to get that decision.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend! **

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Camp Jupiter, San Francisco**_

**Percy's POV**

It was nearly curfew for the Romans after my claiming. Aunt Juno had vanished after smiling at me and nodding at the campers. They gave me a bunk near the temples, in a rarely used single-person house that used to belong to one of the augurs. From what I could understand from the blond kid with a teddy bear, Octavian, an augur was basically like our Oracle. He was their only one right now, as the gift of prophecy was rare.

Frank was sent off, and I was later told he joined the fifth cohort. If he wasn't claimed soon, I resolved to go yell at Ares through his mother, Hera, who I knew would be happy to help out. The kid was nice, and unlike the other children of the God of War that I knew. He deserved to be claimed, and well before the oath forced it.

I was given a tour of the camp the next morning, after being woken up by a ghost who called me a Greek angrily. I told him to shut up or suffer the wrath of the gods, and he promptly fell quiet. I found it highly amusing that worked, and laughed my butt off after he floated away.

I will admit that I loved New Rome, as the Greek camp had no equivalent. Camp Jupiter and New Rome were amazing places to be. I could see myself here pretending to be the Roman son of Neptune, but I was and will always be a Greek son of Poseidon at heart.

Reyna and Jason, the two praetors, which I figured were like the camp leader back at Camp Half-Blood, led me with a small honor guard comprised of the centurions from each cohort. Cohorts reminded me of cabins in our camp, with the centurions mirroring cabin leaders.

As it became later in the day, near noon if the sun was any judge of time, a girl came running up to us. She was a bit young, around claiming age. She was dark-skinned, and had curly hair going in all directions.

"Ah, Hazel!" called out Jason. He was a son of Jupiter, and Thalia's brother. Of course, he didn't know that, and I knew better than to inform him, no matter how much it pained me to keep quiet. He told me his patron was Juno, who I resolved to talk to after I left. He was a great guy, and we instantly felt a kinship.

The girl, Hazel, came up to us and saluted. I shifted slightly, but kept my face calm. I didn't feel comfortable with them saluting me, but it was expected of me.

"At ease, please. Tell us, what do you need us for, Hazel?" Reyna asked, kindly. I could tell she liked Jason, but he didn't seem to feel anything for her but friendship, I had ribbed him about it earlier when she went off to go supervise something. I felt kinda sorry for her, but she was a bit strange around me, like she knew me from before.

"Umm… I have two things to report, praetors. First off, my brother, the Ambassador to Pluto, has arrived. He came because his dad told him to be here. I think it's because the Ambassador to Olympus is here. And two, the cohorts are forming for lunch." She rambled, a bit nervous.

Reyna nodded. "I see, thank you, Hazel. Go form up with the rest of your cohort, I'll inform them if you're late that you were doing something for me." She then turned to me.

"I assume you know the Ambassador to Pluto?"

I respond with something like "Whom? Huh?"

Reyna blinked once, like she didn't expect that answer. Hazel, who was turning to go, turned around to respond.

"She means my brother, the son of Pluto. He pops up from time to time here at camp, usually to check up on me or to inform the praetors of something."

I respond, confused. "Wait, you're an actual living daughter of Ha-Pluto? And what's his name?"

Hazel shifts awkwardly, as if there was some problem bugging her about being alive, but responds "Nico. Nico di Angelo."

I run over to the temple of Pluto, where my cousin Nico was waiting. I considered Nico my little brother, and I'm pretty sure he felt the same way. I hadn't really seen the kid, since he spent most of his time in the underworld. _Or_, as I now realized, _here at the Roman camp._

I wasn't sure how the heck Nico had found out about this camp, probably from his father Hades, but I was happy to see a familiar face.

Jason and Reyna ran behind me. "Dude, you're way too happy to see Nico." Jason shouted at me.

"We've met a ton of times before, Jason! I consider him my brother, and I'm happy to see the kid again, considering he practically lives in the underworld!" I respond.

I near the temple, and see him leaning against the wall in his aviator jacket, which only increased his general aura of evil.

Course, I remembered him from when he was the chirpy Mythomagic-obsessed annoyance, so I instantly gave him a hug when I saw him.

He returned it after a brief period of shock, as he was obviously not expecting to see me. We pulled back, and I exclaimed "Nico! It's been a while, man."

His face was still shocked, but he shook his head and responded "Hey Percy. It has, sorry. After the war, Per-Proserpina", he caught himself and continued, "Came back from one of her goddess get-togethers, and told me that _Juno_ of all people convinced her to make amends. She decided that as her son, I needed an education, and promptly plopped me down with ghosts from Elysium for two months. It's been horrible." He shuddered slightly. "On the plus side, my relationship with her has improved greatly. She's actually pretty cool, and lets me call her mom." He smiled embarrassedly.

I raised my eyebrow slightly. "Did you say "Goddess get-togethers"?"

He snorted and grinned, responding "You haven't changed. But yeah, that's what I said. Apparently, mom, Lady Ceres, Lady Juno, Lady Venus, and a few of the other goddesses get together on Olympus for a gossip meeting of sorts from time to time. Only during the summer, since mom can't leave the underworld during winter. Though, nowadays, she comes back more often, to check up on me."

I respond enthusiastically, happy for him. "That's great, man. I'm happy you have a mom again! Though, my mom still tells me you're welcome at our place at any time."

Reyna and Jason had caught up, and were standing there with incredulous looks at our discussion. I turned to them and said, "Head on over to lunch, we'll walk slowly there while we talk. Nico knows the way."

They nod and go, running off down the path.

Nico turns to me after watching them go, and asks "Now, Percy. No offense, but why the heck are you here? How did you find out about this place? It's a secret the gods did everything to keep!"

I respond, grinning. "Aunt Hera told me. I ran into a Roman demigod in Washington State when retrieving demigods, and she sent me here with him. She had to call in a favor from Zeus, but I had rescued one of his kids recently, which helped sway his mind."

He looked at me incredulously, saying "_Aunt Hera_? When did you start referring to her like that? You hated her!"

So I told him about how I had changed Hera's view on demigods, and how we had developed a good friendship. He looked weirded out by it, and had an expression of disbelief and fear when he heard that she was on good terms with my mom. "Dude, that's just scary!" he exclaimed, as we neared the dining tables.

"It's my mom! Tell me about it!" I grumble, as we slipped into the praetor's table at the dining hall. Usually, they ate with their cohorts, but there was a special table they could use if they wished. Today they ate there with a few friends from their cohorts.

I take a look around and think, _Huh, not a bad place._

_Time-skip: 2 Months_

_**Wilderness, Virginia**_

**Artemis POV**

My hunters set up camp while I sat in my tent, sharpening my arrows. All my hunters are expected to sharpen and upkeep their own arrows and weapons. I was a goddess, and could turn them sharp with a flick of my hand, but the action was a good way to unwind.

It was nearing nightfall, and my brave hunters had slain many beasts, including a few hellhounds and empousa that had been unlucky enough to become prey.

_The Son of Poseidon did well, for a man. Without his actions, the hunt would have ended._

My thoughts drifted toward Percy Jackson, as they did sometimes when we encountered servants of the titans. The immortal son of the sea was a brave man, one I was happy to call a true friend. He was loyal and charming, though he was respectful toward my hunters. Many of the younger ones had joined the hunt due to his actions saving demigods, which I thoroughly approved of. Even the older ones were openly friendly with him, treating him with the respect he deserved.

I recalled when I had first met my friend, back when I considered him just some arrogant boy. He had lost his good friend to the trickery of the Titans, who I had then proceeded to remove the burden of the sky from. He impressed me greatly with his bravery and loyalty, having taken the sky up willingly so that his friends may live. I had since apologized to him for my coldness back then, but he had waved it off saying he understood.

He was very modest, for such a great hero. Any hero who had accomplished half of what he did would have bragged about it, but he didn't mention his achievements save when they helped a hunter or camper (on the rare occasions I saw him when my hunters were at camp.) I did not understand it, and I made up my mind to ask him next time I saw the man.

Thalia, my ever faithful lieutenant, popped her head into my tent, disrupting my chain of thought.

"Yes, Thalia, what is it?" I inquire.

"Milady, Percy has arrived, with a few prospective hunters. I thought you should know." She responded happily.

I gave a smile, and stood up. Placing the few remaining arrows I hadn't finished sharpening aside, I stepped out of the tent. Turning, I noticed Percy alongside a girl who looked about 14, and a younger girl of about 9 years. The younger girl was clutching his hand, a small detail which brought a smile to my face.

"Ah, Perseus, it is good to see you." He once told me that he disliked being called by his full name. Naturally, not being one to pass up teasing a male, even if I respected him, I called him that often, as did the hunters save Thalia. She called him Kelp Head. I liked that nickname, but it would be below my dignity, which he and the hunters would tease me about. Hmph, they used to respect me before Percy came along.

He gave a crooked grin, and responded sarcastically "Hello Arty." I hated that nickname when Apollo called me it, but with Percy, it was alright, considering I called him Perseus.

"I brought the hunt some new members. This is Cassiopeia, age 14, almost 15. She's a daughter of Iris, according to Hermes. And this is little Callie, short for Calliope. She's almost 10, and a daughter of Athena." He said, gesturing to the two.

They bowed to me before I waved them off. I disliked them bowing, it was too formal and stuffy for my hunters.

"I explained to them what the hunt entailed. Cassie here had her heart broken by a mortal boy, and Callie… well let's just say Callie's new home and family is here in the hunt." He stated the last part with a frown, his face darkening slightly. I was curious, and resolved to ask Calliope later. Several of my hunters were giving pitying expressions.

Suddenly Callie spoke up. "Umm… Artemis? I don't wanna not join the hunt or anything, but Percy was really nice. If I join, can he still visit me and talk and stuff?"

I smile warmly at her, as some of the newer hunters step forward. One of them, Kayla, daughter of Hecate, responded happily. "Of course he's allowed to visit, Callie! Percy's one of the few good men in the world. He's always allowed to visit! Artemis doesn't mind, she's good friends with Percy."

Someone from the back of the crowd of hunters called out evenly, "_Really_ good friends!"

I blushed involuntarily. Percy also blushed before shaking his head to clear it. The hunters then started laughing uproariously, with even the younger ones smiling.

That settles it. I resolved to find out who shouted that and then go toss them off a cliff, immortality be damned to Hades. It was a totally inappropriate comment, especially from us hunters who swore to eternal maidenhood. Percy was certainly good-looking, and a good man, but we were both just good friends. I certainly didn't think that way, and from what I knew, he didn't either.

"Shut up!" we both exclaim in near tandem, causing us to stop for a second. Percy raised an eyebrow, his face clearly sending a message to me saying, _What the Hades?_

"Whoever found that, pray to all the gods you know I don't find you. I'll throw you off of my moon chariot, minus immortality and whatever powers your parent gives you." I state calmly, causing some hunters to fidget awkwardly.

I swear in the new arrivals, as Percy goes off to talk and train with the hunters. Whenever he came to camp, they challenged him to a duel as a way to keep all our skills sharp, considering he was known as the best swordsman in last few hundred years.

I start talking to the new recruits, wondering what Callie's story is. Hearing it made me gladder than ever that Percy picked her up, and angry at her family. I was pleased that Percy had taken care of it with all the respect her uncle deserved.

Callie was abused by her uncle, who treated her like a slave after her birth father died. He used to be an intelligent scientist who worked on military helicopters and other such mortal technology, before an accident with one of his prototypes killed him. She was then picked up by her uncle, who hated her father. Unfortunately, Athena had only heard of Callie's father's death recently, but once she did, she sent Percy to go send her to my hunt.

I resolved to thank Percy for beating up that horrible mortal when he arrived, as I would have probably turned him into a Jackalope. No, such a man deserves something more like a rodent, or a slug.

I walk over with the new hunters to observe Percy fight. He was dodging and weaving, avoiding Holly's hunting knives with ease.

Holly was one of my senior hunters, serving me for a good century, as a proud nymph who disliked the constant advances from men. She liked Percy, as she felt he was a kind soul who wouldn't… ah, what's the word…, _hit on_ girls. A valid point to make about the brave and modest hero, I agreed. We hunters have all discussed men a few times during campfires, and we have all shared our personal opinions about the one good hero we all know.

Percy blocks the hunting knives with his blade, and twists to disarm Holly with the flat of his sword, Riptide. He holds the hunting knife he carries as a gift from us a while back to Holly's throat, as a clear signal of victory.

I open my mouth to congratulate him when thunder rumbles in the distance. I freeze as I realize what has happened, and shout at him "Percy!"

He sheathes his weapons and turns, his expression bewildered. "Artemis? What's wrong? Why did it just thunder?"

"Zeus has summoned both of us," I reply. "I'm not sure why."

**Author's Note: Well, cliffhangers are awesome. I'll try and post tomorrow. I didn't get as much in as I thought I would, and it took slightly longer than I thought to plan and finish. As always, please review and recommend! **


	6. Chapter 6 -- Jason Loses his Mind

**Author's Note: Well, sorry it took so long for me to write this. I was busy with the inane amount of work I got during my break, and other things popped up. First off, I REDID THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER'S ENDING, so I'd recommend re-reading it starting from Artemis' POV.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**I decided to have Percy know of Hera's plans, because you know, she's Aunt Hera. After she became all nice, she was a lot more forthcoming with info. And as pretty much one of the only people who know both camps, she had to tell him. I decided to have at least part of **_**The Lost Hero**_** in this chapter, as it made sense.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Mount Olympus, Throne Room**_

**Percy's POV**

When Artemis told me that Zeus requests both of us on Olympus, I said something smart like "Um, ok."

Thalia, who was standing next to Artemis, Callie, and Cassie, gave a snort. She and the other 3 were watching me duel Holly, one of the Hunters. The hunters liked having me duel them, as a way to keep their skills up in swordfighting. Monsters didn't really use swords that often, but they wanted to be prepared for all styles of fighting, and since I was the best swordsman they knew apparently, they picked me. I figured it was just because I showed up at their camp a lot, and they didn't really like any other denizen of Camp Half-Blood. Thalia shook her head, and yelled at me "Kelp Head, only you would say something like in response to a summons by my dad. Now get going!"

Artemis chuckled at that, and then grabbed my arm, flashing us to Olympus. We were standing in the middle of the throne room. She let go of my arm, and assumed her full godly height, striding over to her throne as the other gods flashed in.

All of the gods were confused, apart from Zeus and my dad. My dad had his arm out awkwardly patting his brother, giving off a pained expression which looked like _Why me?_

The King of the Gods looked simultaneously angry and depressed. I could hear thunder rumbling uncontrollably in the background, a sure sign of his distress.

I decided to bow first, since I had figured that if Zeus was annoyed, I'd better be extra careful. I then realized that Hera wasn't here, and I grew puzzled. Why was my aunt missing?

"Hey Father?" Apollo called out from his throne, one headphone in his ear as he hummed slightly to music. "Why'd you call us here? And why are you looking so depressed?"

Zeus looked up at Apollo, and responded angrily. "Hera is missing, taken by the giants and the forces of Gaea."

There were shouts and exclamations from all around the room. After I had changed Hera's behavior toward demigods, she grew kinder, and most of the council liked her now as a sort of "team mom", as Apollo had put it. She had, at my urging, apologized to most of the council for all the stuff she did over the years, like throwing Hephaestus off of the mountain.

"Wait. Aunt Hera is missing?" I exclaimed, surprised. "We have to go get her back!"

Athena responded to that statement, saying "We cannot, Percy. Do you remember the plan put forth by us in regards to the Prophecy of Seven?"

I knew what she was talking about, obviously. I was the only demigod who freely traveled between both camps, apart from the son of Hades, who was working for his dad.

Hades didn't really bother with the rules of Olympus. It used to be because they didn't like him, but after the Titan War, it was merely because he could operate more freely if he wasn't an Olympian and bound to report to Zeus. Hades told me confidentially that he preferred not having to listen to his 'annoying younger brother' all the time, even if Zeus had, at Hera's urging to bring the family together, offered a throne on Olympus.

The plan, orchestrated by Hera, was to take demigods from both camps and switch them, as a way to unite the two camps peacefully. She would take away their memories, and send them off to their opposite camps.

I was nervous at that, because I figured that if they met me or heard of me at one of the camps, they'd realize at some point or another that I knew of both camps, and I _really_ wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

"Oh. Do you mean she pulled off the plan before she was captured?" I state hopefully. As nervous as I was about someone realizing I knew of both camps, having them both know of each other would not only make my job easier, but be awesome. I had several friends amongst the Romans, and I knew my Greek pals would love to meet them.

"Indeed, Percy. Praetor Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, has been sent to the Greek camp. Hera placed him with one of Aphrodite's daughters, and a son of Hephaestus, wiping his memory. He is set to be entered tomorrow, with Mist placed over the group. There is a satyr there, but we think a powerful demigod escort would be useful." Athena responded, with a pointed glance at me.

Zeus responded, "Percy, you are not part of their quest. Apollo's Oracle is going to provide a prophecy later this week, and it concerns the three demigods that Athena just mentioned. I want you searching for my wife with my daughter's hunters, if they'll have you?" He directed the last part as a question to Artemis.

Artemis nodded, smirking at me. "I would be happy to take _Perseus_ with my hunters when we search for Hera. My hunters trust him, as do I. He serves as a great dishwasher."

Ouch. Just because my power over water allows me to clean dishes easily, and because I do a favor for the hunters by doing the dishes whenever I drop by during the night, doesn't mean she has to stoop that low in front of all the gods. My jaw dropped in mock horror. "Hey!"

Hermes and Apollo burst into laughter. Ares smirked while Hephaestus grinned, both of them clearly amused. Zeus grinned; his mood lifted by the thought of his favorite nephew, the powerful son of his annoying brother, reduced to a mere dishwasher. Athena chuckled, clearly sharing the thought. Poseidon chuckled, amused at my obvious annoyance. Demeter was shaking her head, while Aphrodite winked at me. Hestia gave me a smile as she tended to the hearth.

Zeus spoke, barely holding back his laughter, his grin evident in his words. "Well, brother. Perhaps we should have you do the dishes for us at our next party. Clearly your son excels at it, and you're both very alike."

Everyone in the council burst into laughter at these words, while my father grinned sheepishly, pretending to be annoyed. Artemis was chuckling, but stopped soon. She started speaking.

"Father, as much as I enjoy you taunting my uncle and his son, we must start working. Percy, do you require transportation to Jason and his companions?"

The other gods stopped laughing, and looked at me. I responded, smiling. "Thanks, _Lady Artemis_, but I think I'll be fine. Where are they, though?"

Zeus spoke up. "They're at the Wilderness School, headed for the Grand Canyon tomorrow. Keep an eye on my boy, will you? And please find my wife, nephew." He spoke the last part pleadingly.

I gave a crooked grin. "Of course I will, Lord Zeus. And don't worry; it _is_ your son going after her. Aunt Hera's in good hands, and she'll be raring to go at the giants when she's released. I know Jason; he'll be awesome even without his memory, he's got pretty cool powers."

Poseidon spoke up, then. "Not as cool as the powers you get from me, right son?"

I smiled at my dad. "Course not, dad." And just to prove my point, I willed some water to form behind me, pulled discretely from the air and from the pipes of the city. I turned, and in a totally show-off-y way, stepped into the water and vanished, willing myself to appear at the Wilderness School.

Sea Travel was a power I discovered when I was transporting demigods. As a son of the Sea God, who was the Storm-bringer, I could travel through any body of moving water to another, mainly rivers and oceans, but also storms. There was a minor rainstorm at the school, probably my dad helping me out. I willed the storm to dissipate with a prayer of thanks to my dad, and a familiar tug in my gut caused it to vanish.

I stepped inside the school, popping the door open with some skills Connor and Travis Stoll had taught me once when I visited camp. As I wandered around, looking for the satyr protector, I realized that I had entered through the back entrance, and hopefully there were no teachers around. Of course, just as I thought that, I bumped into someone.

"Ouch! Watch it, cupcake." the man grumbled. Actually, on further inspection, he was clearly a satyr, as his cap had fallen off when we bumped into each other. The Curse of Achilles meant it didn't do much to me, but he had fallen to the ground, hard.

"Hey, so you're the satyr protector. I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. The gods sent me over to help you guide the kids to camp." I say, extending an arm out to him. He was older than most normal protectors, but I shrugged it off.

His eyes when wide at my name, then he got up, refusing my hand. "So you're Jackson, eh? You here because of the important package camp told me to pick up? If so, cupcake, I can handle it. The name is Gleeson Hedge, or Coach Hedge according the cupcakes in this school."

I responded, "Important package? Oh, you mean Jason. I guess the gods must have sent the campers a message. Yeah, I'm here to get him to camp. Then I'm off."

Coach Hedge, I had decided that I was not calling the guy Gleeson, responded "Why? What's so important bout this Jason kid, or these two? I knew they were strong, they had a powerful scent, but not strong enough for this kind of personal attention from the gods."

I debated responding, before stating "The gods send me to protect their kids. And Jason's a son of J-Zeus. I can't say much more than that, but Chiron will understand when he sees him. That's all you got to know."

The satyr's eyes bugged out at the statement that Jason was a son of Zeus, but then raised a bushy eyebrow. "Alright, kid. I'll trust you, since Grover seems to think you're awesome. What's your plan; I was going to call in an extraction team tomorrow."

* * *

_**Grand Canyon, Wilderness School Bus**_

**Jason's POV**

Even before I got electrocuted, I was having a rotten day.

I woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where I was, holding hands with a girl I didn't know. That wasn't necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but I couldn't figure out who she was or what I was doing there. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to think.

A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of him, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. They all looked around my age … fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. I didn't know my own age.

The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under a bright blue sky. I was pretty sure he didn't live in the desert. I tried to think back … the last thing I remembered …

The girl squeezed my hand. "Jason, you okay?"

She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green. I let go of her hand. "Um, I don't—"

In the front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "All right, cupcakes, listen up!"

The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"

"I heard that!" The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on me, and his scowl deepened. He seemed to nod at the kid in front of the girl next to me.

A jolt went down my spine. I was sure the coach knew I didn't belong there. He was going to call me out, demand to know what I was doing on the bus—and I wouldn't have a clue what to say.

But Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. "We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."

He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.

I looked at the girl next to me. "Can he talk to us that way?"

She shrugged. "Always does. This is the Wilderness School. 'Where kids are the animals.'" She said it like it was a joke they'd shared before.

"This is some kind of mistake," I said. "I'm not supposed to be here."

The boy in front of me turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."

The girl blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"

"Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? You 'talked' the dealer into lending it to you?" He raised his eyebrows at me like, _Can you believe her?_

Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving —drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.

The kid in front of Piper, sitting next to Leo, turned and smiled. He looked sixteen. He was relatively tall, about my height, with black hair and sea-green eyes. He looked like a skater or a swimmer, but somehow I doubted that. For some reason, every instinct in my body was telling me _Danger! Danger! This guy is seriously powerful._ I felt like this kid would be a problem, even though he looked relaxed. Something about his posture, the way his muscles were tensed beneath his t-shirt. His eyes, as green as the ocean, seemed to stare right into me, as if he knew who I was, even if I didn't. My fingers moved of their own accord to my pocket, where I could feel a gold coin.

"Hey, Jason, are you alright? You don't look so good." He said, in a calm voice laced with concern.

"I don't know you," I said, my voice mixed with fear and concern.

Leo gave me a crocodile grin. "Sure. I'm not your best friend. I'm his evil clone."

"Leo Valdez! Percy Jackson!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "There a problem back there?"

Leo winked at Jason. "Watch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"

Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up.

The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"

The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"

Piper stifled a laugh. "My god, Leo, how did you do that?"

Leo slipped a tiny Phillips head screwdriver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."

The kid next to him, Percy, chuckled. "Aw man, you have _got_ to teach me how to do that."

"Guys, seriously," I pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"

Piper knit her eyebrows. "Jason, are you joking?"

Percy frowned, and narrowed his eyes, which looked with concern and pity at me. For some reason, I felt that Percy knew why I lost my memory.

"No! I have no idea! Percy, do you know why-"

"Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren't you?"

I stared at him blankly.

"No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take my hand again, but I pulled it away.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't—I can't—"

"That's it!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!"

The rest of the kids cheered. "There's a shocker," Leo muttered.

But Piper kept her eyes on me, like she couldn't decide whether to be hurt or worried. "Did you hit your head or something? You really don't know who we are?"

I shrugged helplessly. "It's worse than that. I don't know who _I _am."

* * *

_Time-Skip_

Their school group had the place to themselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourists, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her that blinding white smile. She kept pushing him away, and when she saw me she gave me a look like, _Please th__rottle this guy for me._

I motioned for her to hang on. I walked up to Coach Hedge, who was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds with Percy Jackson, the kid I was strangely wary about.

"This kid the special package?" the coach asked Percy.

I took a step back. "What special package?" It sounded like I was some object they were trading.

"Yeah, but his memory is blank. It's… _She_ took it, if you know who I'm referring to." Percy stated, his tone making it clear that whoever this lady was, she was to be respected.

Coach's face crumpled, as if he couldn't bear the thought.

"Wait! Percy, you know who took my memory? Please, tell me! I can't recall anything. I just… woke up here, on the bus." I ask, pleading.

He grimaced, as if he swallowed something horrible. "I'm sorry, Jason. We're good friends, but I can't tell you. You must find out on your own. It is the only way for this to work."

Coach Hedge and I responded as one, which was disturbing. "_What_ to work?"

He seemed to ignore the question, turning to stare back at the storm clouds. "I'm worried about this storm. It doesn't seem to be natural. So, in order words…" his face suddenly went slack. "It's a trap! Coach, get the kids inside!"

Hedge looked at the storm. The clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the skywalk. Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.

Hedge grumbled under his breath. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Everyone get off the skywalk!"

"I thought you said this thing was stable!" I shouted over the wind. I didn't get why Percy called the storm a trap, but he didn't seem like he was joking. I saw him sprinting away toward the others.

"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"

The storm churned into a miniature clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.

Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. I skidded across the slick floor. Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but I grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.

"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.

Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. I thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Leo, Coach Hedge and I ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fight us, pushing us back. Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, and then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk. Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, the kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck. "Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm. Percy caught up to him, and pulled out a pen.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

"The mist doesn't fool me, spirit. Show yourself." Percy snarled, his voice cold, with a stare that made my instincts scream at me. I reached into my pocket almost subconsciously, and pulled out my coin.

He flicked his wrist, and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" I tried to charge forward, but the wind was against me, and Coach Hedge pushed me back. "Coach," I said, "let me go!"

"Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "Jackson can handle this. He's probably the biggest freaking hero the gods know. He can handle the monster."

"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster? And what do you mean by hero? Percy's just a simple prankster like me!"

The coach's cap blew off, and sticking up above his curly hair were two bumps—like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Percy uncapped his pen, and it turned into a shimmering bronze sword, which Dylan hissed and moved away from. He seemed fearful of the blade, but then laughed.

"Try and stop this, Perseus Jackson."

Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.

"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"

Coach Hedge cursed and tossed me his club. I caught it one hand, the other holding the gold coin I brought out earlier.

"Kid, help Jackson keep that _thing_ busy"—he stabbed a thumb at Dylan —"while I get Leo."

"Get him how?" I demanded. "Are you going to fly?"

"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and I almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves—goat's hooves. Which meant those things on his head, I realized, weren't bumps. They were horns.

"You're a faun," I said, the horns and hooves seeming to trigger some memory in me.

"I'm a s_atyr!" _Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."

Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with impossible agility, finding footholds no bigger than postage stamps, dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he picked his way toward Leo.

Percy narrowed his eyes at Dylan, and snapped at him "You'll regret that. I've slain far worse than your kind, storm spirit."

The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, watching in terror.

Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk. If angels could be evil, I decided, they would look exactly like this.

"You're a _ventus_," I said, though I had no idea how I knew that word. It just sprang up in my mind the instant I saw Dylan change form.

"Yes he is, Jason. He's a storm spirit." Percy agreed with me, his voice sharp. "Protect Piper. I'll deal with this one." He advanced, tapping his wristwatch, which spiraled into a big bronze shield decorated with images. He threw it to me, which I caught.

"Take it! It'll help protect Piper. And flip your coin, you know what to do!" he shouted, before turning to Dylan the _ventus_ and sliding a silver hunting knife from his back, where I could see a sheath underneath his t-shirt. Dylan snarled, and two more _venti_ spiraled down next to him, their faces angry.

"_Jackson._ The mistress will be pleased with me when she hears I've slain the demigod who has been giving her such worry." He roared, his comrades chuckling in agreement.

I threw the club at Dylan, who dodged it like I thought he would. It landed next to Piper, who gripped it. Percy widened his eyes before grinning at her, then nodding at me. Something he said had triggered something in me. _Flip your coin_, he told me.

I let my instincts take over, flipping the coin in the air like I'd done it a thousand times. I caught it in my palm, and suddenly I was holding a sword—a wickedly sharp double-edged weapon. The ridged grip fit my fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold—hilt, handle, and blade.

Percy laughed, and we advanced. We worked in sync as if we had done so since forever. He whirled with his bronze sword, while my gold sword sliced in the other direction. Two of the _venti _disintegrated into vapor with the swings, and Percy followed through with his other hand, stabbing at Dylan with the silver hunting knife. He howled in anger, jumping backward past Piper.

Piper was so surprised she dropped the club. "Percy, Jason… how did you do that?"

Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour. "Spirits fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan. "Curse it, boy!" he snapped at Percy. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"

Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Super-goat, whatever you are—I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"

Dylan hissed at them, but I could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy _all _demigods. This war you _cannot _win."

Above them, the storm exploded into a full-force gale. Cracks expanded in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured down, and I had to crouch to keep my balance.

A hole opened in the clouds—a swirling vortex of black and silver.

"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"

He lunged at me, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper somehow managed to connect. Both of them went sprawling. Percy, Leo, the coach and I surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Coach Hedge and I landed on their butts. My sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Percy just skid back, his eyes flashing in anger and hatred.

Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging by one hand over the abyss. I started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"

He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him. The storm spun, but Percy shouted, "No you won't, _ventus_! I'm Son of the Storm-Bringer!" He raised his hand out, and closed it. Suddenly the storm vanished, as if Percy forced it to disappear. He let out a huge breath, like he suddenly lost a ton of energy.

Dylan howled and fell, Leo dropping to the ground unharmed. I moved past Percy toward Piper.

"Help me!" Piper yelled. "Somebody help me!"

Percy froze as he was moving toward Dylan and Leo. Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.

"Jason, go!" Percy yelled. "Save her!"

_Save her? _I thought. _She's gone!_

But again my instincts won. I ran to the railing, thinking, _I'm a lunatic, _and jumped over the side. I wasn't scared of heights. I was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. I figured I hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but I tucked in my arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fast forward. My face felt like it was peeling off. In a heartbeat, I caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. I tackled her waist and closed my eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in my ears. I wondered what dying would feel like. I was thinking, probably not so good. I wished somehow we could never hit bottom. Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp. I thought we must be dead, but I hadn't felt any impact.

"J-J-Jason," Piper managed. I opened my eyes. We weren't falling. We were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.

I hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging me too. We were nose to nose. Her heart beat so hard, I could feel it through her clothes. Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "How did you—"

"I didn't," I said. "I think I would know if I could fly…" But then I thought: _I don't even know who I am._

I imagined going up. Piper yelped as we shot a few feet higher. We weren't exactly floating, I decided. I could feel pressure under my feet like we were balancing at the top of a geyser.

"The air is supporting us," I said.

"Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!" Piper demanded, looking a little scared.

I looked down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then I looked up. Percy was still up there, along with Leo and Coach Hedge.

"Let's see." I thought "_Up"_, and instantly we shot skyward.

The fact I was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but I was too much in shock. As soon as we landed on the skywalk, we ran to the three others.

Percy and Coach Hedge were kneeling next to Leo. Dylan was gone, probably vaporized by Percy's sword. Percy whipped out a can of something from his bag, and made Leo drink it. Suddenly, Leo coughed and got up.

"Dude, what was that thing. It did _not_ taste like apple juice." He muttered.

"This is nectar, the drink of the gods. Here, eat this candy bar. I don't want to risk giving you any more nectar or ambrosia." He uttered, taking a quick swig of the drink. "Anyone else injured? Piper, you okay from the fall?"

Piper shook her head. "No, I'm a little bruised but no injuries."

He chuckled, and turned to me. "Nice one catching her, Fly Boy. I knew you'd still be able to do it, even with your memory sto-gone."

Piper demanded "Do what! How on earth did Jason fly? And how did you know he could? And you were about to say something other than 'gone', weren't you?"

Percy held up his hands nervously, his face contorting as if he was resisting the urge to answer. I strangely felt like I should be answering these questions, but I couldn't. I managed to say "Yeah, he was."

Percy grimaced, and said "Okay, that's some powerful charmspeak. Anyway, Piper, in response to your questions, I knew Jason could fly because he's the Son of Jupiter. And I am _not_ going to tell you everything right now, because I can't. It'd ruin everything, but please trust me when I say that I really want to. Jason's my friend just as much as he is yours. Well, maybe not, considering your – never mind. I'm not that close to him. Let's just say that we're good friends. Anyway, I'll stay with you until the extraction team gets here, in case the spirits get back."

His words seemed to ring in my head, as if I should know what he's talking about when he said Son of Jupiter. I murmured the words, and held my sword out. Percy caught what I said, and smiled faintly.

"Sorry about this, Jason. If it helps, and you regain your memory, know that I was quite opposed to everything, as was she. But it was necessary for peace." He turned and pointed to the sky, where I could make out two shapes, with something behind them.

"Okay..," Leo interrupted. "Tell me if those are flying horses, because if they are, I'm officially crazy."

At first I thought Leo _had _hit his head too hard. Then, as the dark shapes got closer I could see a pair of winged animals— gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

I watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Two teenagers stood in the chariot, a blond kid with blue eyes and a bow and arrows strapped to his back, and a tall buff dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks and a shield on his back. They both wore jeans and orange T-shirts. The blond kid jumped out, and ran over to Percy before the chariot was fully parked.

"Where is he, Percy! I know you know where he is!" he shouted angrily.

"Whoa, calm down, Austin, who are you talking about?" Percy said awkwardly, backing up.

"My Half Brother and Cabin Leader, Will Solace, Percy! You've known the guy for a while! Where is he? And no lying, Apollo's god of truth, I'll be able to tell." He stated, as the buff guy walked over.

"I don't know where exactly he is right now, Austin. I'm not sure." Percy stated, his eyes looking over to the Pegasi and flashing. He walked over and started grooming one, looking anywhere but Austin.

"Look, just get these guys to camp, Austin, Butch. They have a strong scent, and with me around, it'll only increase. We just got attacked by storm spirits, so watch out." He ordered. The blond kid, Austin, seemed to sag, but then walked back over to Percy.

"You avoided the truth, Percy. I could tell. But you're not lying when you said that we should move. Tell me this though, is my brother fine right now?" Austin said, wearily.

"He's fine, Austin. Your brother's an awesome dude, as Apollo puts it. I'm sure he'll turn up." Percy said, smiling faintly.

Leo stood up, and said "Whoa, hold on a minute. I ain't going anywhere with you crazy people until you tell me what's going on."

Percy turned, and I could instantly tell that he'd heard this before. He smiled, and responded. "I think I've said this before, but you're demigods, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Jason… Grace." He hesitated, and my mind blanked as he said my name. Something in it rang a chord in me, which made me stiffen.

Percy continued after a second. "You're all sons and daughters of the Greek gods."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, that was a long chapter. Hope you like it, sorry it took so long. Thanks for reading; I'll try to get the next chapter up within a day or two. I left it at a cliffhanger because all good chapters end like that. As always, please review and recommend! **


	7. Chapter 7 -- I Make a Storm

**Authors Note: Hey guys, sorry, but this was a long chapter to write. I just want to give a special shout-out to my 100****th**** reviewer, "Lord Jace". Thanks for reviewing, everyone! I'm surprised that so many people like the story. The story has over 10,000 views, and nearly 200 followers and favorites. **

**Someone mentioned that Percy was OoC for being his jovial self. I respond by commenting that he's got a sort of delicate cover over it, and no one mentions **_**her**_** to him in fear of breaking that cover. I don't have any fully formed plans in my head right now, but if it was broken, his friends and family would help him. Plus, Annabeth didn't break up with him or anything really unbelievable like that; she died a hero's death, and had Percy promise not to obsess over that, which helped. Review if you disagree, I'll try to respond.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**Well, I tried to finish up **_**The Lost Hero**_**, with some time-skips to avoid retelling the entire story. I liked the opportunity that Percy traveling with the hunt looking for Hera gives me for developing Pertamis somewhat. Nothing major this chapter, but it'll increase as the story goes on. I'm trying to make it seem as natural as it can be.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Grand Canyon, Skywalk**_

**Jason's POV**

"You're all sons and daughters of the Greek gods."

When he said that, it was as if a switch was flipped in my mind. Something somewhere came back to me, confirming his statement. It just felt right, as if I knew that he was telling the truth. Something did feel off, though.

I questioned him, saying "Wait. You mean the gods we learn in class? Jupiter, Neptune, Apollo…"

Percy smiled sadly at my question; it was like he knew why I was feeling like something was off. "Yes, Jason. Those are the Roman names, however. We call them by their Greek names at Camp Half-Blood. We call him Lord Zeus, not Lord Jupiter, and my dad is Poseidon, not Neptune."

Piper spoke up then, confused and wary. "Wait, your dad is Poseidon?"

Percy grinned, and waved his hand. Water seemed to spurt up from nowhere and floated in front of him, following his hand. "Yeah. My dad's the God of the Seas."

Leo nearly shouted "Dude! That rocks! What god can do tricks with fire?" He held out his hand, and fire started dancing across his palm.

Percy raised his eyebrow, as if he was surprised by that. "That's… Hephaestus, but I've never seen that ability. I've heard of it in rumors, but it's a really rare gift. Fire-wielders only appear at camp in times of great peril, from what I've heard. That, or they cause said peril, but I'm inclined to believe the former."

Leo seemed put out slightly, and the fire stopped. He then brightened. "So my dad's name is Festus? What is he, some cowboy?"

Percy, Austin, and the big dude over by the Pegasi laughed uproariously. Piper and I chuckled at Leo's crazy humor. Percy responded, shaking his head, "No, man. Hephaestus. He's the God of blacksmiths, metalworking, fire, and Lord of the Forges."

Leo responded with an exuberant "Cool, man! I guess that explains my awesome skills."

Piper laughed, and then turned to Percy. "Do you know who my mother is?" Percy looked at her for a second, then at me, as if saying "_Isn't it obvious?"_

He then spoke up, saying "Piper, your mother is…" he trailed off here, glancing up the sky. It thundered for a moment, and he nodded and turned back to her. "Your mother is Aphrodite, goddess of Love and Beauty, the Lady of the Doves. I would have thought it'd be obvious, considering how pretty you are."

I felt an irrational jealousy spring up in my heart, which I apparently didn't hide well enough. Percy caught my expression and smirked. "Looks like someone's jealous, Piper. I don't think there's any competition, eh?" He winked at her.

She turned to me, obviously playing along. "Of course not, Percy, how could there be any competition? Jason's way cuter than you are." She then gave a little "eep!" and closed her mouth, blushing furiously. I was no better.

Percy and Leo laughed, while the big guy and Austin gave a grin at our discomfort. "Don't worry, man. I know your memory is gone and all, but we were like brothers. I'd never make a move on your girl."

I stammer, blushing furiously. "She's not… I mean… I can't recall… Percy!"

Austin speaks up, his face puzzled. "Brothers? Percy, I've never seen this guy before, and I know everyone at camp from working at the medical station. What did you mean by 'brothers', do you know this guy?"

Percy shifts awkwardly, looking anywhere but Austin. "Ah, well, you see… I can't tell you that right now. Oh! Look at the time!" he glances at his blank wrist, where his wristwatch-shield used to be. "I need to get going, Lady Artemis and the Hunters are expecting me! Oh, and Jason, seek us out once some of your memory returns, you can always Iris-message me." He flips a gold coin at me before grabbing his shield, turning it back into a wristwatch.

Austin shouts at him "Hey Percy! Wait up! Answer my questions, dammit!"

Percy turns around, and steps into a pillar of water which formed behind him rapidly. He vanishes into the water and it dissipates, vanishing into the breeze. Austin runs up the pillar as it disappears.

He curses loudly in some language, before turning to us. Piper and Leo stared at him when he cursed, as if wondering how the heck Percy did that. I know I was.

The big dude by the horses speaks up. "That was sea-travel, wasn't it, Austin? I've only heard of it."

Austin responds, dejectedly. "Yeah, Butch, that was sea-travel. Children of the Sea God can travel between bodies of water, including storms and stuff, because Lord Poseidon's also the Storm-Bringer." The last part was directed at us, to explain our impeding question. He turns to us, and gives a faint grin.

"Come on, let's head to camp now."

* * *

_**Wilderness, Virginia**_

**Percy POV**

I'll admit I got nervous with all the questions. The gods had made it vitally clear that I was not to start revealing things to the demigods. They had to find out by themselves. I could help confirm it, but not more. So I panicked when Austin started questioning me, and vanished off to the hunter's camp.

They were camped out in the woods of Northeastern Virginia, out by the Shenandoah River, so that I could get to them easily. I formed from the waters, and appeared. Their camp was set up like normal, with silver tents and a campfire in the center. Hunting wolves prowled around, but they recognized me, so I could get by with no problem, even though I was a guy.

I wave to a few of the hunters I knew as I walk toward the opposite side of camp. They'd camped here once or twice before when I had shown up, so I knew how they set up things here. There was a small clearing that they used for archery training, and Artemis hung out over there.

"Hey, Arty, I'm finally here. Jason's with the extraction team. I should have known how much G-ah; the Lady of the Earth would want him. She sent a couple _venti_ after him." I frown, informing her of the extraction.

Artemis grimaces, but responds "I see. I trust he'll be fine, then? We can start our search for Hera?"

Thalia looks puzzled by this, and speaks up. "What do you mean by 'Our search for Hera'? Milady, is Hera missing?"

I sigh at the question. "You didn't inform them?"I was referring to more than just my aunt's kidnapping.

Artemis shakes her head. "It was an oath I had to take upon the Styx. Unless someone else revealed it, I could not speak of it. My hunters have always been Greek, and none of _them_ ever joined."

Thalia and the hunters were looking positively befuddled, so I sighed and turned to them. "Guys… How do I put this? There have always been two sets of demigods. There are the Greeks, which we know of, and the Romans, who were kept from us by the strongest of magic and Mist. Whenever we met, we fought."

There was clamoring and some shouted questions, but I ignored them and continued. "The Roman camp is in San Francisco, put there to keep an eye on Orthys. While we all fought to defend Olympus, they fought the Titan stronghold." I hesitated, and looked at Thalia.

"Thals, I'm sorry about this, really. The Jason I just mentioned? It's your brother." I paused there, waiting.

She exploded into emotion, shouting at me. "WHAT! But… he was… my mom told me he died!"

I grimaced, dejected by that response. "Your mother was forced to give him up to Aunt Hera. Look, Thals. The second time your mom attracted the attention of Zeus, it was in the form of Jupiter. He was born a Roman demigod. You realize that at the time, my aunt was furious at that. No woman had ever attracted both forms of a god before. Aunt Hera took Jason to the Wolf House, in California. It's a powerful place, where all Romans start their journey."

Thalia looked really angry at me, as if she was debating whether or not to punch me in the face. She settled for zapping me, which I figured I deserved. "Ow!"

"You Kelp Head, I trusted you! I thought… how could you hide this from me!" she nearly sobbed.

Artemis moved to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Thalia," she began, "You mustn't blame Percy or Hera. It was an old decree, from the American Civil War. Romans and Greeks couldn't have any contact with each other. This would have continued, but with Gaea rising, the Great Prophecy demanded that the two camps must be brought together."

Thalia shook free of Artemis, and turned back to me. "Percy. You obviously know Jason. How… How is he?"

I grin, thankful that she forgave me. "He's fine, Thalia. He is Praetor of the First Legion, former leader of the Fifth Cohort. Oh, Praetor's basically one of the two leaders of the camp." I explain.

She smiles, but I smirk. "He's also totally smitten by the Aphrodite girl I picked up, even though his memory was just wiped in preparation for sending him to the Greek camp."

Her smile disappears, but then she frowns. "Hey! That's not – Wait, his memory was wiped? He… He wouldn't remember me?"

I frown in response, as the answer isn't easy. "He might. His memory was taken by Hera, but it will return to him as time goes on. I will say that seeing you will most likely return the memories he has of you."

She sighs, satisfied by my answer. Artemis then walks over to me. "Thank you, Percy, for explaining that. The oath I had sworn was preventing me from speaking of the Romans. I haven't assumed my Roman form in years."

I smile in response, and pull back my sleeve on my t-shirt. The tattoo SPQR was clearly burned onto my skin, along with the bars denoting years of service. Instead of the normal single symbol of your godly parent, I had the Trident of my father Poseidon surrounded by a band of small circles. Each of the small circles held a symbol of a god or goddess who respected me.

Artemis sighs, and flickers form. Some of the hunters step back in surprise, and close their eyes, thinking that she's turning into her divine form. I was used to the shift, however, and watched. She became a few years older than her normal 13-year old form, becoming around my immortal age of 16. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, with her beautiful face appearing sterner than normal. The normal silver hunting clothes were still there, but changed from a Greek-style tunic to a Roman-style tunic.

She appeared just as beautiful as the first time I had seen her, but like all Roman forms, seemed sterner and more… militaristic. That disappeared as she smiled, and gave me a hug of thanks. She pulled back as she realized what she doing, though, her face in a light blush I could only see from close up, which I think I was mimicking.

* * *

_Later that night_

I was by the campfire as the hunters caught and cooked dinner. I had pulled up several fish from the nearby river, and they had caught some deer in the woods. As always, I was impressed by their skill, as the deer had to have died instantly.

We sat around the campfire, numbering about 20 in all. I sat next to Artemis, on the opposite side of Thalia. Callie was sitting next to me and Holly was next to her. Cassiopeia was sitting next to Phoebe, who was next to Thalia. They all had become good friends, but then again, the hunt was one big family.

I felt kinda awkward intruding, like I always did when they made me dine with them. I mean, I'm a guy surrounded by a bunch of people who have decided to hate them for all eternity. Artemis, though, seemed to sense my discomfort. She nudged me, and said "So, _Perseus_, what are your thoughts on the heroes? Who is your favorite hero of the ancient myths?"

I think for a second, and reply "I've always liked Hercules."

She raises an eyebrow, but her eyes flash with hatred. My thoughts flash to Zoe Nightshade, the former lieutenant of the hunters. She joined them after she was betrayed by Hercules. I smile, realizing why Artemis was angry. "No, not because of the reason's you're thinking. I like him because he had worse luck that I do. Though, considering he was kind of an asshole, he deserved what he got."

The hunters all laugh, amused by my answer. Artemis lets out a wondrous bell-like laugh, and then asks me "Oh? Who would you say is the greatest hero of the ancient myths, then?"

I ponder the question for a second, before responding "Hector. You know, Hector of Troy? All the stories paint him as a good guy, who fought for his home with skill and bravery. Plus, he liked horses, and no one who likes horses can be a bad guy!"

Artemis looks surprised by my answer, but laughs at the joke. I decide to continue. "I mean, look at the Titan Lord. He _hated_ horses, and he was a totally evil guy. But my dad is like, _Lord_ of horses, and he's _awesome!_"

The hunters are all roaring in laughter by now, and I take a sip of my blue cherry coke. I had goblets and plates from Camp half-blood, which I used when camping. Artemis sighs at my antics, and leans backward from her cross-legged sitting position to stare at the sky.

The dinner finishes, and most of the hunters turn in for the night, as we all need our energy for searching tomorrow. Soon, it's only Artemis and I left. I stayed back to keep her company, as I sometimes did.

"How are you, Percy?" she questioned, her voice soft and curious.

I sighed in response, while she shifted slightly. "I'm tired, Artemis. I'm tired of all this chaos, and all of this war. I lost enough in the Titan war, including a lot of my friends and allies. I don't want to lose any others."

She shifted and leaned against me slightly, still looking up at the stars. "I'm not a proponent of war myself. Unlike my foolish half-brother Ares, I too prefer peace. I lost a lot of good hunters in the last war, including my lieutenant Zoe, who in many ways was like a sister to me. If I could, I would have ended this bloodshed and violence, as I know you would have."

I lean slightly to allow her to lean on me. In normal circumstances, I'd be embarrassed, but this wasn't meant to be romantic or anything like that. It was merely two friends reminiscing and wishing for peace.

I turned slightly to look at Artemis' beautiful face, which looked even prettier in the moonlight. I guess it would, considering she's goddess of the moon. "Hey, I just realized something. If you're here, who is driving the moon chariot?"

Artemis smiled faintly, looking amused. "It is driven by the minor goddess Selene, who is sometimes mistaken for me. She and her brother Helios take over for my brother and me if we have other duties. It can also travel automatically, if you recall. My reindeer are quite intelligent."

I was always puzzled by that, and was slightly happy to finally get an answer. "Thanks. I suppose I'll turn in for the night, Arty. Good night, oh beautiful goddess of the moon."

Oh man, did I just call her "beautiful" out loud? Crap, I'm done for. I sneak at peek at Artemis, who I am shocked to find lightly blushing. "Thank you, Percy. Good night, oh brave and handsome hero."

I head off to my tent, blushing slightly. This is one hell of a night. I just called the goddess of maidens beautiful, and instead of getting blasted, I get called handsome. I shake my head, and turn in for the night.

* * *

_Time Skip_

_**Wolf House, California**_

**Jason's POV**

Leo set the helicopter down on an icy field about fifty yards from the house. The mist and snow was strong around the place, but I could hear sounds of fighting everywhere. The storm was part snow and part rain, and I got the strangest feeling that they were fighting. The rain seemed benevolent, but the snow seemed evil. I couldn't place the feeling, and I shook it off for now.

A dark shape appeared in the fog as we got out of the helicopter. Leo shouted "Hit the ground!"

I grabbed Piper and dove for the ground, just as the helicopter exploded. In the flames a horse, made entirely of electricity, whinnied and neighed into the air. It turned toward us, and pawed the ground as if it was about to charge.

I was reaching for my coin when I realized I had destroyed it fighting the giant. Piper unsheathed Katoptris, but she looked wary. I understood why. A small dagger like that wouldn't do much against a big monster like the horse. Leo's hammer wouldn't be much help either. Suddenly a silver arrow streaked out and pierced the horses' flank. It whinnied in agony and disappeared into the storm.

Thalia, my sister, stepped out of the storm, with Percy and some young girl in a Hunter's garb next to her. Percy was wielding his sword, _Riptide_, I remembered from some faint memory. The girl was wielding a bow, similar to my sister, except this girl's bow was far more ornate. They both had arrows notched, while Percy had his shield out.

"Percy, Thalia!" I shout, happy to see them. Thalia grins and runs over, with Percy and the girl following.

"Jason!" Thalia exclaims, giving me a brief hug. She separates', and Percy bro-fists both Leo and I. The girl nods tersely, keeping an eye on the storm. She speaks "The hunters are doing well, but something is wrong. These creatures… they're not dying."

Percy speaks up. "It'll be alright, Arty. If we can defeat whoever is making this snow-storm, and break Hera out, we'll be fine." He sounds tired. The storm around us seems to falter for a second, while the snow picks up. Percy takes a deep breath, and the storm resumes.

The girl, Arty, seems impressed. "Amazing, Perseus, I cannot believe this. You have been fighting the bulk of these storm spirits and werewolves, and yet you have enough energy to maintain this storm." She gives him a smile, and they share a look I'm quite familiar with. I chuckle faintly in my head, but pay attention to what she's saying. "Do not tire out on us, Percy. My powers would be of no use against this. I'll go help the other hunters. Thalia, come." She waves her hand at Percy, and then departs into the mist. Percy straightens, as if he got an energy boost.

Thalia gives me a faintly apologetic face, but follows. Leo nudges Percy, and says "Looks like you got yourself an admirer among the hunters, you lucky dog. Who is she, anyway?"

Percy blushes for a second, while we chuckle. He then laughs at Leo, saying "You're kidding, right? Hope to all the gods you know she doesn't hear that. That's Lady _Artemis_, you idiot."

We stare dumbfounded for a second, before Leo sums it up in his trademark fashion. "Oh. Never mind then." Percy responds with a laugh, before frowning and turning around, saying "Come on, guys. We have to get going, Hera can't last much longer."

As he led them through the house, memories came rushing back to Jason. The house was built in a giant **U**, and Percy led them between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as I had seen in my dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger—a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to me it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils he could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck—_rising_.

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that I doubted I could've gotten my arm through. Still, I could see inside. In the center of the cage was someone who could only be Lady Hera.

Percy directed them to the cage, and spoke up. "The prophecy, guys. _The forge and the dove will break the cage._ Leo, Piper, you're up. I'll help the hunters guard us."

Hera was staring at us, and spoke up at that. "Yes, please. My energy is being drained, and I do not wish to see my step-daughter's hunters suffering, nor any of my relatives. Please, listen to my nephew. Artemis is bound by the same laws exempting her from our ban of slaying monsters. She cannot assume her true form here to destroy them all, nor would she with her hunters frozen like that."

Leo spoke up, staring at the cage. "But it's not a machine. It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and … Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

The hunters, and Lady Artemis, were standing around the courtyard in various places, barely discernible through the fog. I saw statues scattered throughout them, being melted by the goddess as she moved through the ranks. Not statues, I realized. They were frozen hunters.

Lady Artemis came over to us when she noticed us, and nodded at Percy and Hera. She spoke up "I have figured out the goddess who has turned traitor and helped capture my step-mother Hera. It is –"

From somewhere behind the monsters, I heard a girl's laughter, clear and cold. She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. She regarded us with those deep brown eyes that I thought had seemed cold and unforgiving back in Quebec.

"_Bon soir, mes amis," _said Khione, the goddess of snow. She gave Leo a frosty smile. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."

Percy stepped forward, in stride with Artemis. She spoke up first. "Treacherous goddess, I will have you bound in chains and dragged onto Olympus for this!"

Percy added to that, saying "Yeah! Leo, Piper! Deal with the cage. Jason! Deal with the werewolves and the giant, if he awakens. After I deal with this little goddess I'll help you out."

Khione laughed. "And why would I fear you, boy? Lady Artemis would be a threat, perhaps, but you are no match for a goddess."

Percy gave a stare so scary, I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the snow and mist. The storm picked up slightly, rain drowning out the snow. He spoke up, his voice cold and unforgiving. "I don't usually brag, you can ask anyone. But I think that you're underestimating me. Perhaps you don't recognize me? I'll give you a few hints. I defeated the God of War when I was twelve, and fought the Titan Atlas at the age of 14. I then defeated the Titans Hyperion and Kronos at the age of 15. Now do you know me, little goddess? My name is Percy Jackson."

With every word Percy spoke, Khione grew paler. When he announced his name, she involuntarily gasped. "No! The gods sent _you_! The Earth Mother warned me about you, Son of Poseidon. But no matter!" she roared the last part, and held up her hands. Snow billowed around her, and massive snowballs blasted at him.

I stood there watching in disbelief as the snow shifted into water as it got near. Percy gave a crooked grin as the liquid blasted back at Khione, who froze it again. Lady Artemis notched an arrow and pointed it at Khione, firing at her rapidly. The frigid goddess howled in rage, as she was forced to block both the water blasts and the arrows with walls of ice.

"No! Curse you two! I would have been respected!" she screamed, as Percy advanced. As he got closer, the storms and snow died down, forming into a mini hurricane centered on him. All the snow that the goddess threw at him or Artemis melted and was shot back. He got nearby enough for the walls to melt away, which Lady Artemis pounced upon by firing multiple arrows.

The goddess of snow collapsed in pain, and Artemis snapped her fingers. Bronze chains erupted from the ground, binding the goddess. Percy walked up to her, and pointed his sword at her throat. "This is what you get for messing with my aunt, and by extension the rest of my friends and family. No one messes with them!" He nodded at Artemis, who waved her hand as the goddess of snow was forcibly teleported to Olympus.

Percy turned, with a small grin on his face. "That's one problem taken care of." Artemis gave a faint smile in response, and nodded. Their good mood didn't last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

I hadn't thought anything could be scarier than Enceladus.

I was _so_ wrong.

Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped. He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him—a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons—daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody—maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

"Alive!" he bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"

I made a heroic little whimpering sound I hoped my friends couldn't hear. I was very sure no demigod could solo this guy. Porphyrion could lift mountains. He could crush me with one finger.

Just then Percy spoke up. Oh, right, I forgot about him. Maybe Percy could solo him, considering the amount of power the immortal son of Poseidon seemed to display.

"So, the giant awakens. Man, you guys look worse than my gym locker. And _that's_ saying something."

I almost laughed, despite the severity of the situation. Percy certainly knew how to deflate the tension in the room. Even Hera was smiling, though she was obviously in pain.

"Excellent!" the giant roared as Percy approached, with me standing next to him, with Artemis hanging back. "Appetizers are always delicious! Who are you two—Hermes and Ares?"

I thought about going with that idea, but something told me not to. He could tell Percy felt the same.

"I'm Jason Grace," I said. "I'm the Son of Jupiter."

Percy said "I'm Percy Jackson. I'm the Son of Poseidon."

Artemis snarled. "And you obviously know me, Giant. I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."

"If you knew who I was," I yelled up at the giant, figuring it was time to act a lot more confident than I felt, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."

The giant's eyes narrowed. He planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at his opponent. "So … we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod, I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess's cage. "Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"

Porphyrion laughed at her comment. He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to re-gather—storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.

Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying a chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. "So, children of Zeus and Poseidon, I have finished my boasting! Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

I looked at the ring of monsters, waiting impatiently for their master's order to tear them to shreds. Leo's circular saw kept whirring, and Piper kept talking, but it seemed hopeless. Hera's cage was almost completely filled with earth.

"I'm the son of Jupiter!" I shouted, and just for effect, I summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion." I didn't know quite what he was saying, but I rattled off the words like I'd said them many times before. I held out my arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, and to my surprise the giant seemed to recognize it.

For a moment, Porphyrion actually looked uneasy.

"I slew the Trojan sea monster," I continued. "I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

Percy, standing next to me, grinned crookedly at my display. He summoned water under him, and rose up next to me. "I am the Son of Poseidon! I'm a child of Greece and Rome, consul and leader to demigods, honorary centurion of the First Legion." He showed tattoos similar to mine, which shocked me for a second. He had a Trident surrounded by other symbols in a band, along with SPQR.

The Giant looked warily at him. Percy continued with his voice rising in volume and emotion.

"I have slain more creatures than any in history. I have defeated Ares, the God of War; Hyperion, the Titan of Light; and Kronos, the Lord of Time. I am the protector of half-bloods, and favored of the gods. I hold the blessing of Athena, and the favor of the Olympian Council. I am the Savior of Olympus. Now, I will aid Defeater of the Giant King to my titles, when I help Jason rip you into bits."

Percy and I worked in tandem, summoning another storm, as if we had been doing this for a while. Actually, as my memory came back slightly, I recalled that we had. A hurricane spun into the existence centered on us, as we advanced on the forty-foot monster. Lightning flashed in the storm, and we charged. I swung my blade left while Percy spun right, slashing the giant on both legs.

He roared in pain and dropped, but recoiled backward as silver arrows sprouted from his face. Artemis stood back there, nodding to us. He got up and glared at us.

"You think you've won, demigods, but you're mistaken. My mother protects me, and will destroy you all in time, you foolish scum!"

Artemis and Hera cried out "No! Stop him!" just as Hera's cage was broken by Leo and Piper. The golden goddess grew to her godly height as she was freed, but she before she could take a step, he started sinking into the ground.

We charged at him as he sank, but it was too late. The Earth swallowed up the Giant King, as we were robbed of the opportunity to stop him.

* * *

**Authors Note: And that pretty much finishes up **_**The Lost Hero**_**. What'd you think of the little interaction, too little or was there not enough back-story to justify it? I was wondering whether I should continue with the canon events from **_**Son of Neptune**_**, or focus more on the Pertamis. I'd love to hear your opinion. As always, please review and recommend!**


	8. Chapter 8 -- Frank Gets a Cool Dad

**Authors Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and recommends. It was touching to know that you think this is one of the best Pertamis stories out there, considering this is my first that I've actually put down on paper (figuratively speaking.) I hope that you guys love this chapter; I went with your suggestions for more Pertamis.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**I tried to finish up **_**The Lost Hero**_** quickly, and put in a small time window between that and **_**The Son of Neptune**_**, so that I could develop Pertamis slightly. I hope you like what I've done, I thought sending Percy to try and cut down the monster army on its way to Camp Jupiter was a nice touch.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Wolf House, California**_

**Jason's POV**

We stood there for a few seconds, staring at the spot where Porphyrion melted into the ground. Suddenly one of the werewolves growled as it approached us. Hera turned to it, a furious expression on her face.

"Avert your eyes, heroes!" she shouted, as she glowed with divine power.

We closed our eyes. I instinctively knew that if I had left my eyes open that I would have gazed at the divine form, which no mortal can understand, and been incinerated upon the spot.

Even with my eyes closed, I felt the flash of divine power, and a searing heat warmed me to the bone. When it stopped, I opened my eyes slowly. All the spirits and werewolves were gone, vaporized by the sheer power of Hera's true form. The hunters were melted, and slowly picked themselves up.

Thalia came over, a small smile on her face. She spoke up, jokingly, "Her majesty Queen Hera, the loose cannon."

Hera smiled, but pretended to frown in anger. "Oh watch it Thalia, I'll curse you with madness."

They shared a grin, and I smiled, happy that they had a good relationship after what had happened with me in the past. I knew I was annoyed at Hera, but if my sister forgave her, I guess I would, too. Percy spoke up. "Well, good to see you guys have made up."

Thalia turned and answered. "Well, after _Step-mother_ here decided to apologize, I took your advice and forgave her." She then turned back to Hera. "You'll see them back to camp, mother? It's the least you could do."

Hera nodded, and smiled warmly at us. "Indeed, I will. I will speak to Percy later, and confirm what you all know of the two camps. But for now—"she waved her hand, and the world spun.

* * *

_**Wolf House, California**_

**Percy's POV**

I watched Hera wave her hand and the three demigods I had picked up at the Grand Canyon disappeared, their image folding inward and vanishing. I figured that whatever it was, it was _not_ going to be good for their stomachs.

Aunt Hera turned to me and gave me a quick hug. She stepped back, and said "Thank you for freeing me, Percy. I'll report to the council what happened. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you and Artemis could do me a favor." She then flickered into her Juno aspect, and spoke again. "New Rome is threatened, Percy. Gaea's army marches to attack the camp, and the city. I would have you and the hunters march to impede it. I cannot think of a braver or stronger group than you all to help stop the army."

I turn my head toward Artemis, who nods at me, along with the other hunters in my line of sight. I turn back, and reply "Of course, Aunt. The monsters won't know what hit them."

She gives a faint smile, and disappears in a flash of light.

Artemis speaks up, "Let's go, Percy. We should start moving toward Camp Jupiter, as to intercept Gaea's forces."

* * *

_Time Skip_

_**Woods, California**_

**Percy's POV**

I was sitting on a little overlook outside of San Francisco, looking out at the city and the sky. It was nearing sunset, and we were about a half a day from the entrance to camp. I hoped Will Solace hadn't reached camp yet, because it'd be problematic.

I was hoping the Romans would give us shelter and a base of operations while we moved against Gaea's army, but we weren't allowed to tell them what happened, that Gaea was rising. Will was set to arrive at camp soon, and with him would come his dad Apollo. Mars was set to show up a day or so later, to give Will the quest, along with his own son Frank.

Personally, I preferred Mars over Ares, as he was a bit more level-headed, and not a total jerk. He cared enough about Frank to want his kid to go along on the quest, to help calm his fears and his self-doubts. I mean, he was giving Frank a pretty cool present of a _Spartus_-summoning dragon-toothed spear, even if it only had three uses.

I had convinced Mars to also give him some archery-related weapon, since Frank was a great archer. Mars didn't like archery too much, but decided to give Frank a special bow, which was nearly unbreakable. The bow had two small daggers sheathed in it, and was fully adjustable in draw-strength. It turned into a ring, which activated as you mimed pulling a bowstring back in front of it. I approved of the gift, and he said he'd try to remember to give it without my reminder.

I was shaken out of my thoughts as an Iris-message appeared next to me. In it was someone who I didn't expect to see: my immortal half-brother Triton.

He looked nervous for some reason, so I spoke up. "Hey Triton, you look nervous for some reason, why?"

He smiled slightly, and responded "Hey Percy. Ah, I need to ask you something. The thing is, well, I met this woman a month or so ago on Montauk. I was exploring the place, since it was where our father met your mother. I… well I somewhat fell in love there, and one thing led to another, and I now have a demigod daughter." The last part came out in a rush, and he kept talking, before I could process what he said. "I know that we don't have the best relationship. I mean, I know that I was rude to you and all, but I was wondering… well I was hoping that… well I should probably say sorry first, so sorry. And, well, I will do anything for you, any favor you need, but ah… I was hoping that you'd look after her for me?" he spoke rapidly, stumbling over his words.

I spoke up then, cutting off his next words. "Of course I will, dude! I'm her uncle! And I get where you were coming from, seriously. We're brothers, and we have to stick together. Now, tell me, who's the lucky girl my big brother fell for?" I teased, grinning widely.

Triton grinned, and responded "Thank you, Percy. I suppose you're correct, after all. And ah, her name is Sophia Cochlis, and she lives in New York City. My daughter's name is Thalassa. She picked the name, but I totally approve." He gave me her contact info, and told me she knew of the gods and stuff.

He then started speaking again, "I'm asking you to do this, Percy, because I've never had many kids. I mean, I had little Pallas, and my little owl Athena, of course. And of course, Henry Hudson was one of my favorite sons. But, ah, I never had as many kids as the Olympians, and as a minor god, they weren't respected as easily. I was hoping you'd help her."

I smiled, and said "Of course, man. She's your kid; she'll grow up to be just as awesome as you. Of course, that means she'll still be less awesome than me, but – Wait. Did you just say Athena was _your_ kid?"

Triton was grinning at my response, pretending to be offended, but then looked at me knowingly. "Ah, yes. I suppose that's not a very well known story, even among demigods, is it? You see, after Athena was born from Zeus' head, she was sent to me to grow up from a young godling to a full god, so she could take her place on Olympus. I loved her like a daughter, you know. She grew up with my own daughter Pallas, and the two were like sisters. But, ah, an accident occurred during one of their sparring sessions, and Pallas was killed." His face clouded momentarily, but he continued "In a fit of anger, I banished her from the island we were all staying on. I forgave her a long time ago, after realizing it was just a mistake, but she still blames herself. Actually, now that I think about it that could be why…" he trailed off, lost in thought.

I spoke up, curious. "I see. But what do you mean by 'that could be why'?"

Triton shook his head, and smiled at me. "Ah, that's nothing. Just a little bit of musing and perhaps a story for another day."

He waved his hand, and the message disappeared.

* * *

_Simultaneously_

**Thalia's POV**

I walked through the glade, surprised as always about how silent and skillful I had gotten after accepting the immortality and blessing that came with becoming a Hunter of Artemis. I never regretted my oath. Luke was possibly the only boy I had cared for as more than a friend or relative, and he had changed long before his death.

I sat down near Calliope and Holly. Little Callie was our newest member, but she was a natural at the bow. She could work on being a bit more silent, though. Then again, she was young, and naturally peppy, like Annabeth was at her age. I smiled slightly, reminiscing, before I shook my head at sat down.

We were on our way to the supposed "Camp Jupiter", trying to intercept Gaea's army. I was raring to fight, ready to pummel the stupid goddess of the earth who decided to mess with my family and friends. We were taking a break near San Francisco, perhaps a day from the Camp entrance according to Percy.

He was understandably nervous about entering camp, as if that one Apollo kid Will Something recognized him, he'd be in deep trouble. I couldn't blame Will, though. I was about ready to strangle or shock my cousin when I found out, but I _had_ understood why he did what he had done.

Callie spoke up, breaking my train of thought. "Thalia, Holly, I have a question." She was playing with her bowstring, while Holly was sitting next to her, sharpening her hunting knife. We were all sitting a little ways from the camp, just out of earshot of anyone else, but close enough that a shout or warning would be heard.

I smiled at the young daughter of Athena, and said, "Sure Callie. Go for it, what's the question?"

She responded energetically, saying "Percy and Lady Artemis like each other. Don't they?"

I blinked once, to make sure I had heard the question right.

I blinked again, reassessing all of their interactions.

"I'll be damned. You might be on to something. How in Hades did I miss that?" I mused, realizing now. "I mean, you even made that joke a while back, but I didn't think you meant anything by it, Holly." I directed the last part to the girl, who was struggling to hold her laughter in.

"You seriously didn't realize it? Well, I suppose we did join the hunt for a reason." Holly giggled, sounding entirely out of character for a Hunter. She then smiled evilly. "Now, the real question is: How are we going to get those two together?"

I give a perfect evil smile, and respond, "Well, let's see how it goes. Kelp Head is more oblivious than a rock when it comes to this kind of thing, and Lady Artemis was the original maiden goddess. I have a few ideas, though….."

* * *

_Time Skip_

_**Camp Jupiter, California**_

**Percy's POV**

A thunderous voice rolled across the field: _Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning._

Campers drew weapons. Hannibal trumpeted nervously. Scipio reared, almost throwing Reyna. I smiled slightly, and caught Diana's eye. She and the hunters had arrived today alongside me, claiming to be passing through on a mission for Jupiter. I was accompanying them, as an Ambassador to the Gods.

In the midst of the legion, a column of fire blasted into the air. Heat seared my eyelashes. Campers who had been soaked by the cannons found their clothes instantly steam-dried. Everyone scrambled backward as a huge soldier stepped out of the explosion.

The soldier was ten feet tall, dressed in Canadian Forces desert camouflage. He radiated confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a flat-topped wedge like his son, Frank. His face was angular and brutal, marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from inside. He wore a utility belt with a sidearm, a knife holster, and several grenades. In his hands was an oversized M16 rifle.

Frank stepped forward and knelt on one knee as the other campers stepped back. I stayed where I was, standing up. The hunters were doing the same, while Diana looked on, amusement clearly evident on her face.

"Hello Mars. What do you want?" I ask, grinning.

A collective gasp went up from two hundred campers and an elephant. Diana was looking at me, trying to keep a stoic face, but her eyes betrayed her laughter. She seemed to be asking me _you really _do_ have a knack of annoying immortals, don't you?_

Mars grinned, expecting my response. "Hello, Percy. You certainly got spunk, you little demigod. And you know why I'm here."

Mars scanned the crowd. "Romans, lend me your ears!" He laughed—a good, hearty bellow. "I've always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter doesn't like us communicating directly with mortals, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have always been my special people. I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up."

He pointed at Gwen. "This one should be dead, yet she's not. The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth again."

He glared at Nico and Hazel, who both seemed to shrink back. I rolled my eyes, and looked pointedly at Mars. He cleared his throat, looking away.

"Thanatos has been chained," Mars announced. "The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them—at least, not _impartially_. Gaea allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons the giants are mustering armies against you—armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only _he _can reverse the tide."

Mars looked around, and noticed that everyone was still silently kneeling. "Oh, you can get up now. Got any questions?"

Reyna rose uneasily. She approached the god, followed by Octavian, who was bowing and scraping like a champion groveler.

"Lord Mars," Reyna said, "we are honored."

"_Beyond _honored," said Octavian. "So far beyond honored—"

"Well?" Mars snapped. "Well," Reyna said, "Thanatos is the god of death, the lieutenant of Pluto?"

"Right," the god said. "And you're saying that he's been captured by giants." Reyna continued. Mars nodded in confirmation. "And therefore people will stop dying?" Reyna queried.

"Not all at once," Mars said. "But the barriers between life and death will continue to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Monsters are already harder to dispatch. Soon they will be completely impossible to kill. Some demigods will also be able to find their way back from the Underworld—like your friend Centurion Shish-kebab."

Gwen winced at that, while I chuckled. That was actually a decent joke, even if it was in bad taste. "If left unchecked," Mars continued, "even mortals will eventually find it impossible to die. Can you imagine a world in which no one dies—_ever_?"

Octavian raised his hand. "But, ah, mighty all-powerful Lord Mars, if we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely—"

"Don't be foolish, boy!" Mars bellowed. "Do you want endless slaughter with no conclusion? Do you want carnage without any point? Enemies that rise again and again and can never be killed? Is that what you want?"

Will responded, saying "Excuse me, Lord Ares, but you're the god of war. Wouldn't you like that?"

Mars grinned at him, his eyes flashing. "I am the god of Rome, child. I am Mars, patron of military might used for a righteous cause. I protect the legions. I am happy to crush my enemies underfoot, but I don't fight without reason. I don't want war without end."

I spoke up, "Yeah, you are. How's that heel, by the way? Has it healed since I last hurt you?"

Mars laughed, while the Romans cringed in fear and shock, as if they were expecting him to blast me for my impudence. He grinned, saying "You never change, Perseus. And I assure you, if you had fought me as Mars, you'd be dead."

"I order a quest!" the god announced. "You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and thwart the plans of the giants. Beware Gaea! Beware her son, the eldest giant!"

Next to Frank, Hazel made a squeaking sound. "Did you say 'The land beyond the gods'?" Mars stared down at her, his grip tightening on his M16. "That's right, Hazel Levesque. You know what I mean. Everyone here remembers the land where the legion lost its honor! Perhaps if the quest succeeds, and you return by the Feast of Fortuna…perhaps then your honor will be restored. If you don't succeed, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever. So my advice is: Don't fail."

Octavian somehow managed to bow even lower. "Um, Lord Mars, I just have to say just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us! We used to get them from the Sibylline books, but now it's up to the augur to glean the will of gods. So if I could just run and get about seventy stuffed animals and possibly a knife—"

I snorted at that, and caught Diana's eye. She shook her head slightly. Asking Mars to give them a good, rhyming, prophecy was like asking Apollo to write some good poetry, or asking Hades to smile and laugh. It just doesn't happen.

"You're the augur?" the god interrupted. "Y-yes I am, my lord." Octavian stammered. Mars pulled a scroll from his utility belt. "Anyone got a pen?"

The legionnaires stared at him. Mars sighed. "We have two hundred Romans and _no one _has a pen? Ugh!"

He slung his M16 onto his back and pulled out a hand grenade. There were many screaming Romans. Then the grenade morphed into a ballpoint pen, and Mars began to write.

Frank looked at Percy with wide eyes. He mouthed: _Can your sword do grenade form?_

I mouthed back to him: _No. Shut up._

Diana had caught our interaction, and was chuckling silently. Thalia rolled her eyes at me.

"There!" Mars finished writing and threw the scroll at Octavian. "There you go: one prophecy. You can add it to your books; engrave it on your floor, whatever."

Octavian read the scroll. "This says, 'Go to Alaska. Find Thanatos and free him. Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die.'"

I stifled a laugh, and the hunters were all chuckling. Diana rolled her eyes. _Mars or Ares, he's still as blunt as a rock_.

"Yes," Mars said. "Is that not clear?" Octavian stammered. "Well, my lord…usually prophecies are _unclear. _They're wrapped in riddles. They rhyme, and…"

Mars casually popped another grenade off his belt. "Yes?" I snorted at that, but kept quiet.

"The prophecy is clear!" Octavian announced. "We have a quest!"

"Good answer." Mars tapped the grenade to his chin. "Now, what else was there? There was something else.… Oh, yes." He turned to Frank. "Come here, kid."

Frank stepped forward nervously. He had found out Mars was his father a while back, and hated the idea. I had assured him that he was the coolest son of the war god I knew, but he still hated his father for what war had done to his family.

Mars grinned. "Nice job taking the wall, kid. Who's the ref for this game?"

Reyna raised her hand. "You see that play, ref?" Mars demanded. "That was _my _kid. He was first over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you're blind, that was an MVP play. You're not blind, are you?"

Reyna looked like she was trying to swallow a mouse. "No, Lord Mars."

"Then make sure he gets the Mural Crown," Mars demanded. "My kid, here!" he yelled at the legion, in case anyone hadn't heard. I shook my head. I guess all dads have their own way of showing their pride. Frank, though, was looking at Mars as if he couldn't believe that he was being praised.

"Emily Zhang's son," Mars continued, "She was a good soldier. Good woman. This kid Frank proved his stuff tonight. Happy late birthday, my son. Time you stepped up to a _real _man's weapon." He tossed Frank his M16, which morphed through the air into a spear with a shaft of Imperial Gold and the dragon-tooth tip.

"The tip is a dragon's tooth," Mars said. "You haven't learned to use your mom's talents yet, have you? Well—that spear will give you some breathing room until you do. You get three charges out of it, so use it wisely."

I hadn't heard much about his mom's talents, but I figured that he inherited some powers from whichever god he was a legacy of. I cleared my throat when Mars acted as if he was going to leave.

He stared at me for a sec, and then shifted awkwardly. "Oh yeah, kid. I'm not one for archery, myself, but I heard you're a pretty good archer from Percy. Well, you're my kid, so I expect you to become the best! So here, take this, and show these guys why I rock." He pulled out a red and gray ring from a back pocket, and flipped it over to Frank. It spun through the air, changing into a beautiful grey bow. Frank's quiver shimmered and filled with arrows. I recalled that the bow's enchantment would make sure that he never ran out.

Frank looked shocked and dazed, while I was smiling at him. Diana nodded, slightly surprised, as if she couldn't believe Mars was being so nice.

"Now, my kid Frank Zhang is going lead the quest to free Thanatos, unless there are any objections?" Mars spoke up again, grinning.

Of course, no one said a word. But many of the campers glared at Frank with envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness. "You can take two companions," Mars said. "Those are the rules. One of them needs to be this kid."

He pointed at Will Solace, who cringed slightly. "Apollo's kid needs to learn about Mars, got it? As for the second, I don't care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your senate debates. You all are good at those."

The god's image flickered. Lightning crackled across the sky. "That's my cue," Mars said. "Until next time, Romans. Do not disappoint me!"

The god erupted in flames, and then he was gone.

* * *

_Time Skip_

_**Mendocino, California**_

**Artemis' POV**

The hunters and I left soon after the senate meeting, where Percy had to restrain Thalia and me from killing that scoundrel Octavian. I was disgusted by how power-hungry and annoying my brother's legacy was, and Thalia hated how rude that idiot was about her brother, Jason, who seemed like a decent man.

I had informed Reyna that we were going to go try and halt or cut down on the army marching toward Rome, and at the very least scout it out. Octavian had managed to divine its existence, and Percy had to work hard to get him to shut up about it, though he stopped when I threatened to turn him into a Jackalope. I would have done so anyways, but Percy had convinced me that it would only be problematic toward getting the Romans as allies.

I had changed back to my preferred Greek form when we had left, though, like normal nowadays, I stayed at a physical age of 16. Percy had asked me to do so a little while back, as he always felt awkward talking to a 'young child'. We stood on a hill overlooking a large plain. In front of us, we could see a vast army, hosting hundreds of Cyclopes and centaurs, led by Earthborn. At the lead was the giant Polybotes, who was bred to oppose Percy's father, Poseidon. He told me he felt annoyed by the idea, as if that silly giant with snakes in his hair could replace his dad, my favorite uncle.

Percy seemed nervous, and I realized why. "Percy, these are Roman centaurs, not those partying fools known as the 'Party Ponies'. And not all Cyclopes work for my uncle, you must understand. Some are evil, as you should know. I believe you once met Polyphemus, am I correct?"

He sighed, and responded "Yes, I realize. It just doesn't make it easier." He then seemed to realize something. "This army… We won't be able to stop it by ourselves."

I agreed with him, as the army was simply too massive for my hunters to handle. He continued, saying "The best we could do is take out about a quarter before all dying. I propose this, then. I'll go, alone. I'll be able to sea-travel out of there when I'm done, and I'll take out a good chunk of the army. I'm nearly invincible, anyway, and I don't tire easily. You girls all go back to Camp Jupiter. Help prepare it for the incoming attack."

I froze at that. My mind was screaming at me to not let him do this, and I voiced it, saying "No, Percy! I can't let you do that! You may bear the Curse of Achilles, and be partially immortal, but you can still die in battle if someone hits your mortal point! What if you were to die?"

Thalia and the others voiced similar protests, but Percy smiled sadly. "You don't have anyone else who can get away from their army fast enough and we _need_ to cut down part of their army before they get to Camp. We can't call for reinforcements from Camp Half-Blood in time, and the Romans wouldn't accept them, anyways. I'm the only one who can do this, Arty."

He took a step forward toward me, and then froze, staring at Thalia for a second as if registering that the hunters were standing next to us. Thalia seemed to realize something, and smirked. She waved him onward toward me, while the other hunters nodded slightly. They all started smiling or smirking, while I stood there confused. What did they know that I didn't?

He took a step toward me, and said "Listen, Arty. I'm going to try and come back, I promise you. But in case I don't…." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

He then stepped forward and pressed his lips into mine slightly.

* * *

**Authors Note: I'm gonna take a guess here and say that you guys are starting to hate cliffhangers now. I thought it appropriate, and quite tantalizing.**

**And for those who were able to figure out what Triton was pondering, yes, it was why she fell in love with Theseus. I decided to briefly mention that interaction, but I have no current plans to develop it. I do mostly write the story as I go, so who knows. If you have any suggestions or comments on the Pertamis, please review! I love hearing from you guys, and I'll always try to respond to any questions or concerns you voice. As always, please review and recommend!**


	9. Chapter 9 -- The Moon Goes Haywire

**Author's Note: Well, I'm amused by all of the reviews I've gotten so far. Thanks for those, by the way, as well as all the favorites and follows. I'm not so sure how the battle portion of this will turn out, I feel that I'm absolutely horrible at writing battles, so forgive me if it's a bit short.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**Well, I thought I'd try to have Percy cut down the army by about a fourth, so that New Rome and the Hunters could win. Polybotes can only be destroyed with a god or goddess' help, and Artemis was forced to leave, so he was left alive until the end of this chapter, when Artemis/Diana could help out. I hope you like the Pertamis in this chapter; it's hard to imagine what'd happen. **

**I'm guessing that some of you are noticing that I use Percy's storm-bringer powers a lot. I do this because Poseidon's one of the Big Three for a reason. He's one of the three strongest and most powerful gods in the world, and probably the second of that three, being the second oldest son of Kronos. His domains are huge, and have so much potential that we authors seem to forget. Poseidon is God of the Sea, yes. But he is also Earth-shaker, Storm-bringer, and Father of Horses. That gives him control over so much, and there is so much potential that I doubt Percy would **_**ever**_** need another god's blessing, apart from Athena. And he has Athena's blessing now.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Mendocino, California**_

**No/External POV**

Imagine for an instant that the moon had winked out of the day sky, as if caught in impossibility of its existence. Then imagine the moon erupting with such brilliant luminescence that the entire western world was bathed in silver daylight, outshining the brightest sun of a summer noon. As this occurred, forests stirred in agitation and elation, withering and growing, quickly overtaking the borders of civilization in their joy. Wild animals howled to the brilliant spectacle of the moon, all of them responding to their lady and master's domain emotions.

Mortals peered above in total confusion, their so-called scientists rushing to explain the phenomenon, this total impossibility counter to the laws of physics they had painstakingly researched.

The gods who noticed were similarly befuddled, wondering what caused the stoic and quiet goddess who managed the moon to erupt into such _emotion_. None, even the divine who managed the domains involved, came close to the truth, save the goddess' brother, who had seen the occurrence under his sphere as the deity of the sun. He, though, reserved judgment, approving of the actions, and merely informed those around him that his younger sibling was feeling elated.

The goddess whose actions were in question, however, knew none of this. Her only thoughts, across her entire divine self, from the brilliantly glowing moon to the howling animals of the wild, were simple and focused on one entity, one offspring of the lord of the seas and a brilliant mortal woman. Her thoughts were on one demigod, the Son of Poseidon, who had taken pleasing and surprising actions which startled the goddess, despite her thousands of years of existence.

* * *

**Artemis' POV**

My mind blanked, almost a sheer impossibility for a god or goddess.

As I felt Percy's lips upon my own, my only thought was that of pure elation and joy. My mind was dancing, the song of the hunt crying to me in sheer bliss and satisfaction.

As I gained the semblance of thought, I responded with an enthusiasm surprising even myself, trying to send my thoughts through the simple, yet meaningful, action.

He broke apart to draw breath reluctantly, a feeling I shared for some indescribable and inexplicable reason. My mind would not function, my duties and oaths shoved to the back of my conscience.

He stared at me with powerful emotion in his eyes, which displayed happiness, and something else, something far stronger.

He then smiled faintly, sadness clearly visible, and disappeared. I stood there for a while longer, trying to retake control of my domain and my existence, my hunters forgotten for a brief while.

With a start, I realized their presence, and looked at them, suddenly realizing the oaths I had taken, and then asked of them to take. What I saw surprised me. Not a single hunter among the group looked with disgust or hatred. All had an expression of welcome surprise, happy acceptance, or knowing smirk. Thalia, my faithful lieutenant, wore the last one, which was shared by some of the older hunters.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks, a powerful blush that I tried and failed to stop. I didn't trust myself to speak, and said only a single word which conveyed my entire inquiry; a word which provided all the questions that I was mentally screaming to know the answer to. "Why?"

Thalia smiled, but before she could, someone else spoke. Phoebe, who I have known for centuries as an avid man-hater even by our standards, someone who I would have never expected to respond, said "Because, my lady. We have all sworn off men for eternity as eternal maidens. We find happiness in this, and do not regret our decisions. But _he_ is not just any man, is he?" She smirked for a second, and my blush deepened as I faintly shook my head in response. "He would never betray you, we know this. Not after what had happened. He would be faithful to you, my lady, and we could all see that that you both shared affection for each other, far more than the friendship you both felt it to be. And you know, Lady Artemis? If we fight to protect a single someone, it will be stronger than fighting to protect many unknown."

* * *

**Percy's POV**

After I kissed her, I saw her expression, which conveyed only shock and something else, something unreadable.

I still couldn't believe I had done it. I had kissed _Artemis_, of all people. I had kissed the _maiden goddess, _who was known to turn boys into small furry animals for just intruding. I was lucky that she was too shocked to do anything, but I was not looking forward to the conversation when I returned. I consigned myself to the fate of being either brutally killed or turned into a rabbit with antlers for eternity, but felt oddly elated that at the very least, I had managed to let her know how I had felt.

As I appeared in the middle of Gaea's army, I let my train of thought drop. The big, ugly giants known as the Earthborn stared at me in surprise, while the centaurs and Cyclopes looked at me like I was an illusion.

I did the only natural thing: I attacked without warning.

I swung my sword at the nearest Earthborn, slicing through him with a single strike. He disappeared in a big burst of dust, while I rolled to stab at a horned centaur. I winced involuntarily, reminded of the Party Ponies. But I continued my attack, charging at a nearby Cyclops. He got over his shock and roared, throwing his spear at me. I ignored it, letting it fly past me as I jumped and stabbed him, sending him to Tartarus. I turned and saw the centaurs aiming arrows at me, which I responded to by holding out my hand.

A stream of water formed from the moisture in the air and the nearby streams and puddles, knocking some of them aside. I charged at them, preparing for a full on fight, when I heard a loud chuckle. I stopped, as did my foes, as the Giant Polybotes approached, snakes dripping out of his hair.

"Foolish Son of Poseidon, you forget! The Doors of Death are open, thanks to my dear mother. You cannot stop us!" He bellowed, laughing and pointing at the dust. I stared in disbelief as it swirled, reforming into the monsters I had just slain.

Damn it, I had forgotten about that in all that had happened. Until Will, Frank, and Hazel managed to free Thanatos, it'd be near impossible to stop them.

Unless… I narrowed my eyes, recalling a recent battle the hunt and I had when traveling to Camp Jupiter. We had run across a lone hellhound, who had refused to die. I was able to scatter the monsters' dust using the nearby river, preventing it from reforming.

One problem: we were nowhere near a river. I could form water from the air, but it was tiring, and not nearly enough for this army. I suddenly thought of something, and a grin formed on my face.

Polybotes paused, obviously not expecting that. "You smile at your death, Jackson? So be it!" He roared, and signaled the monsters to attack. They laughed, and moved in for the kill.

I took a deep breath, sending a quick prayer to my dad: _I hope this works. Don't fail me now, water powers_. I let it out quickly, opening my eyes.

Thunder rumbled and the winds picked up, as a familiar tug in my gut alerted me to my plan's success. My grin grew wider as I focused, and thunder-clouds began form in the sky, while the winds picked up around me, ruffling my hair. Polybotes widened his eyes in nervousness, while the monsters looked on in fear.

"You monsters all seem to forget. Poseidon is the Storm-bringer, He-who-brings-storm-to-land. And I am his son. Which means, giant, that I can do something like… this!" I shouted at the end, letting out an explosive breath. With a thunder-clap, and a very familiar tug in my gut, rain began to fall as winds swirled, and a hurricane formed right here in the middle of Nowhere, California.

I spun around, leaping at the nearest centaur, which was still frozen in surprise. His face, flanked by horns, opened wide in surprise as I stabbed at him. The water around me washed his dust away into the winds, preventing him from reforming. I charged at the next line of monsters.

I went into autopilot, dodging arrows and swords, weaving through lines of Earthborn and Cyclops with ease. My sword once again ceased to be a blade and became an arc of pure destruction. I cut through scores of monsters, my hurricane preventing them from reforming.

Plenty of arrows found their mark as the horned centaurs launched enough arrows to blot out the sun, if my hurricane hadn't done so already. They all bounced off my celestial bronze armor, the ones which hit skin bouncing off my invulnerable skin. I didn't fear a hit on my mortal spot, as it was hard to hit, and no one would aim for it on purpose. It was hidden behind my armor in any case, and further blocked by my hunting knife, still in it's' sheath.

The fighting dragged on for a few minutes, as I was able to destroy a good chunk of Polybotes' army. I avoided the giant himself, who was obstructed by the fleeing monsters. None of them wanted to be within sword-range, and the giant was further buffeted by the winds. I did notice that any water which hit him turned into something like acid, and resolved to stay away.

But as powerful and invincible as I was, I knew I couldn't keep this going. I couldn't keep a storm of this magnitude running for long, and I was growing tired from the battle.

Turning to Polybotes, I grinned and spoke up. "Good luck, Giant! Maybe if you got a better hairdo than snakes-in-your-hair, you'd stand a better chance at stopping me! See you later!"

And then I vanished, carried along by my dad's power of sea-travel to the Field of Mars.

* * *

_**Field of Mars, Camp Jupiter**_

I formed as usual upon the Field of Mars, near the Pomerian Line. I used water from the lake, as only the flowing water from the Tiber could wash away my curse.

I nodded at Terminus, who had orders from Olympus to not confiscate any of my weapons, and despite his well known love of rules, he was strangely okay with it, saying that the "Ambassador of the Gods is beyond doubt". I walked through New Rome, sad that many of these buildings may not survive the attack. It was a beautiful place, and I knew Annabeth would have loved the architecture.

I stopped in place for a second. _Annabeth_. Gods, I hadn't thought about her for months. I had loved her, I knew that much, but it was never meant to be, I guess. Strangely, I didn't feel bad about kissing Artemis just over a half-hour ago, even though I had loved Annabeth. She had told me to move on, and I guess, in some way, I had, without meaning to.

It was _Hades_ of a new crush, though. I chuckled at the thought, and moved onward into the Senate House.

I entered, noticing that Diana was speaking, informing them of the army. "Percy has gone to delay the army, and perhaps cut it down. I do not know how successful he will be, but -"She froze when she noticed me, and flickered quickly before composing herself.

"Hello, _Perseus_. Were you successful in your mission?" She was looking everywhere but me, discretely as to not draw attention to her actions. I took a brief glance at the hunters, who I recalled were strangely supportive of my actions earlier. Blinking to return to reality, I responded professionally, trying to keep all emotion out of my voice. "Yes, Lady Art _-Diana_, I was_._ I am guessing about a fourth of Gaea's followers were destroyed for good, torn apart by a hurricane I had summoned using my powers."

She blinked at my tone, but nodded, turning to the Senate, who was looking at me in disbelief and shock. They knew better than to question me, I guess, but my actions seemed impossible, even for someone as powerful as I. I hadn't informed the Legion of my Curse of Achilles, and having arrow-holes in my armor and the underlying t-shirt probably raised a couple questions.

The Senate disbanded as the legions prepared for war, and all the campers left. Soon it was only the hunters, and Artemis, who had shifted back once the Romans had left.

"Perseus Jackson, I would speak to you." She spoke, an unreadable expression on her face. Some of the hunters nodded and for some unfathomable reason, smiled. I didn't know why, but I guessed it was because they enjoyed seeing boys get turned into small furry critters.

"Alone." She said in an authoritative voice, glancing pointedly at Thalia and Holly. Holly gave a light giggle, while Thalia pouted for a bit. She didn't seem concerned, and I started to get worried. I mean, she was my cousin, and I thought we were at least close enough that she'd say something during my last moments as a human being.

The hunters all left, leaving at the different entrances, as to make sure no one entered. Soon it was only Artemis and me, and I started sweating lightly in nervousness.

"Ah, Lady Artemis, I suppose I should probably apologize for my—" I got cut off.

She shushed me, a quiet noise that increased my nervousness, and stepped closer until she was only a foot away. I could smell the scent of the forest on her, which was light but oddly pleasant. I started to slightly panic, and was about to start stammering an excuse when she did something that surprised me.

She kissed me lightly, breaking off after a second.

She stepped back nervously, tension evident on her face. She started speaking "Percy. I will admit that I was surprised when you… well, kissed me back then. I was really not expecting anything like that… but I soon realized that, well, I didn't mind it, not really. It felt… good, and ah, I decided to try once, just to show that, well, if that kiss meant what I interpreted it to mean, that, well, I agree, and reciprocate. I mean, if that was just platonic or something like that, I understand, but ah, I thought I was correct in assuming it was meant to convey affection? I'm not too good at this sort of thing, but…" she was stammering and speaking rapidly, a blush forming on her face.

I did the only thing I could think of, and kissed her on the lips again. She froze in shock again, but then responded to the kiss. She threw her arms lightly around my neck, while I wrapped mine around her waist.

I was in heaven, feeling pure bliss at the sensation of her warm lips. Only when I realized that I needed to breathe did I stop the kiss, breaking it off slightly and leaning my head back to take a breath. I spoke softly, "I think that explains my feelings, Artemis. I never thought that they'd be returned."

She smiled, with an expression of joy evident on her face. "When you first kissed me, Percy, you caused me to lose control over my domains. " Her face grew a bit nervous, and she removed her arms from around me, and looked at me. "Percy, I need you to promise something. For thousands of years, I have shunned men, believing them to be liars, cheaters, and pigs. I know, and I was surprised at this, mind you, but I know that the hunt assured me that you would never do something like that, but I –" I cut her off, knowing what she was trying to say. I pulled her in closer, as my arms were still wrapped around her. I breathed into her ear, causing her to shiver, "I promise I will never be unfaithful to you. I swear this upon the River Styx."

She smiled at me, and leaned up to kiss me. We stayed like that for a few seconds before we heard a giggle. We broke apart to see Thalia, Holly, Phoebe, Callie, Cassie, and a few others hunters looking at us, struggling to contain their amusement.

I blushed furiously, looking anywhere but there. "Ah, um, err…." Artemis was hardly better, looking pointedly away with an even deeper blush than my own on her face.

Thalia burst into laughter, many of the others following shortly after with their own laughs. I grumbled in response. She spoke up. "Seriously, Kelp Head, we could _all_ see that you liked each other, even if you were both complete idiots as to each others' affections. I'm glad to see that I didn't have to resort to locking you two in her palace on Olympus or anything drastic like that."

We both spoke up the same time with an indignant "_Hey_!" We both blushed at our response, and looked even further away.

Suddenly one of the hunters ran up to us, with a serious expression on her face. Her next words broke the cheerful atmosphere, replacing it with tension and dread.

"Gaea's army has been spotted on barely a few hours away from here!"

* * *

I hadn't realized that it had become afternoon, as the Senate meeting and the, ah, _meeting_ with Artemis had taken up my priorities.

The army had been about a half-day's march at full speed, and my attack had hopefully delayed them for a few hours more. They would be upon us by tomorrow at noon, we had planned.

Unfortunately, Gaea seemed to be helping them move, and the centaurs of the army seemed to still have their ability to travel long distances quickly. Sentries now estimated that they'd be upon us by nightfall at the very latest, and would probably get here by sunset.

I turned to ask Diana something, as we stood with Octavian, Reyna, and the Hunters on the Field of Mars, looking down at the rapidly assembling cohorts. "Do the gods know whether Thanatos has been freed or not? We could use every extra camper we could get, and Frank, Will, and Hazel are some pretty powerful ones. I mean, Hazel's a daughter of Pluto—" I froze as I started completing my sentence.

Diana looked up at the sky for a second, not noticing my actions, before smiling and turning to me happily as the sky thundered. "He has been freed, Percy. My brother reports that his son is approaching rapidly, traveling on a 'wicked horse that's your'" she froze suddenly, paling for a second before blushing furiously. Octavian looked on in disbelief, while Reyna stared at the stoic goddess' expression.

She turned to the sky, and yelled "Apollo! I don't know how you found out, but THAT. WAS. NOT. FUNNY!" The sky thundered happily in response, as if he was laughing at us.

I blushed involuntarily, realizing that Apollo had seen us kiss. I then paled when I realized what he had done to the last Son of Poseidon who had gotten close to his 'little sister'. But, curious despite myself, I moved closer and asked "What'd he say", quietly as to make sure the Romans didn't hear.

"He said… I… He said 'a wicked horse that's your ah, _boyfriend's_ half-brother. By the way, I hope I get a nephew or niece soon.'" She murmured furiously; her blush increasing. I thought that if I grew any redder, you could replace my head with a tomato and no one would be able to tell.

Octavian spoke up, his voice full of curiosity and nervous respect. "Ah, Lady Diana, what seems to be the matter?"

Diana snapped at him, still obviously embarrassed. "Don't talk to me, _boy_! You are not _nearly_ good enough to earn my respect." Octavian shut up with a squeak, causing me to chuckle.

Diana threw me a warm look filled with amusement and a hint of love, which I returned for a second before turning to see the cohorts. "Arty, I'll go see the legions. Did your brother say how long his son would take to get here?"

Reyna spoke up, "What did you call Lady Diana, Percy?" Her voice was laced with confusion and curiosity.

My eyes grew wide. Damn, I had referred to her by her Greek nickname.

Diana covered for me, saying "It is a nickname he has for me of my Greek form, Artemis. That is all you need to know, young maiden. And Percy, they will be arriving just before the Giants, as far as my brother can tell. And, ah, he has his memory back due to some… gorgon's blood they obtained from the blind seer Phineas."

I nodded, and turned back to watch the Legion prepare for War.

* * *

_Time Skip_

It was becoming around 6 in the afternoon, and I was relaxing with Artemis in her temple on Temple Hill. She told me that the gods had been curious about what had caused her display earlier, but she had said that she was just expressing her frustration at not being able to assume her true form and destroy Gaea.

I was laying back on a seat in an inner room of the temple, which served has been built to serve as housing for the hunters in case they ever arrived, making small talk with the hunters as Artemis leaned into me, my arm around her. I was feeling at peace for once, even though I knew it was temporary. Artemis was looking content, and had a smile which wasn't leaning her face. I knew I probably wasn't that much different, as we were both happy to have expressed our feelings and find them reciprocated.

Gwen, daughter of Hermes, one of the newer hunters, entered the room, saying "Will Solace has arrived, along with Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque."

They had pulled up in the Field of Mars in an imperial gold war-chariot, pulled by a big horse, pulling a whole truckload of imperial gold weapons behind them. Percy made a face when he heard its thoughts. Chiron would have washed any horses' mouth out with saddle soap for less than that back at Camp Half-Blood.

Will Solace jumped off the chariot, and ran right over to me, as I stood next to Diana. I braced myself slightly.

_Bam!_ His fist collided with my face, and I scrunched my face in annoyance. If I wasn't invulnerable, that would have easily broken my nose. As it was, it still hurt, as did most minor injuries that would have caused injury did. The curse made sure that major attacks didn't hurt as much as they should, but minor ones were skipped over.

"Ow." We both said, though I was being sarcastic, while he held his hurting hand.

"Dammit Percy, how could you pretend you didn't know me! You kept this entire camp from us!" he shouted, understandable angry.

"Ah, Will. We can talk about ah, _there_, and my subsequent lack of response when queried, _later_. We have an army coming, and we all need to prepare." I respond, hoping it will work.

It did, and he quieted instantly. "All right, then. Where do you want me, Percy?"

* * *

_Time Skip_

Gaea's army charged down the Field of Mars, into the arms of the newly re-equipped Twelfth Legion. Hazel was holding the legion standard up high, as she had recovered it, and Reyna trusted her with it. Octavian wasn't too happy about her getting it, but one word from Diana shut him up.

I stood at the front of the army, next to Diana, who had her prized silver bow and arrows strung and ready. I had Riptide out, while my wristwatch was expanded and open. I didn't use it much, as it was raise too many questions if the Romans saw the designs, but I figured that since we'd be revealing the other camp anyway after this, it'd be a minor thing to explain.

Polybotes led the army, looking as disgusting and silly as ever.

"Hey Polybotes, I guess you didn't learn from earlier today, did you?" I shout at him.

He roars at me, saying "Foolish Jackson! You may have freed Thanatos, but we will still destroy you!"

I laugh, and a familiar tug in my gut occurs. A rapid hurricane forms around me, storm clouds pouring rain down upon both demigods and monsters, while rapid winds blow, centered on me.

I had only one thing to say. "Now, Romans, attack for the eternal Glory of Rome!"

Hazel raised the legion standard up high, and slammed it in sync with the legions' response, as they all shouted "TWELFTH LEGION…FULMINATA!"

An arc of lightning surged from the standard, vaporizing the front row of monsters. Diana released two arrows into the stunned Giant, and I charged. The hunters blasted a hunting horn, and attacked the monsters with an unstoppable volley of arrows, followed by the arrows of the Roman legions.

Monster after monster vaporized, as I ran toward Polybotes. I blocked his confused jab with my shield, and stabbed at him with my sword, managing to hit him in the knee. He dropped down to one knee in pain, bellowing. "You'll pay for that, demigod!" he shouted, angry. He jabbed again at me, but I rolled to the side to dodge. He then roared in anger, as a volley of silver arrows, fired by Diana, sprouted from his face.

"Hey, let me help you out, Polybotes. I'll give you a nice little makeover, worthy of Aphrodite." I taunted, before slicing at his neck. He roared in pain, but before he could do anything, Diana stepped in front of him.

"This is for _thinking_ of hurting Percy, foolish monster." She snarled, flicking back to Artemis before raising a celestial silver hunting knife and stabbing at his head.

The Giant Polybotes, the Bane of Neptune and feared enemy of the gods, melted into the earth as he disintegrated into dust.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hope you liked it, as it took me a while to write. I hope I didn't rush too much on the Pertamis; I tried to take it naturally, but I'm just unsure. I'm going to wrap up the battle next chapter, and perhaps introduce the two camps peacefully to each other. I don't have much planned beyond that yet. If you have any suggestions or comments, please review and I'll try to respond, it's always fun reading your responses to my story.**

**As always, please review and recommend!**


	10. Chapter 10 -- The Eternal Maiden's Dream

**Authors Note: Hey, sorry it took so long to update, I had a really hectic week. Thanks for the reviews; I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. It took a while to find the right words for the beginning. I guess the giant battle scene was a bit short, but then again, I was going off the books. In the books, the heroes have to battle the giant without a god's help until the very end. Artemis is fighting from the very start, firing arrow after arrow at him. I figured that Artemis' arrows hurt a **_**lot**_** more than mortal/demigod arrows would have, being part of her domain as goddess of archery. **

_***spoiler alert***_

**I finished up the battle, hope you like it. Percy wasn't raised to praetor in this, as he didn't do anything in the battle noteworthy enough to deserve it. In canon, he goes off on a quest given by the gods to save Death itself, comes back with a huge supply of weapons, and then nearly singlehandedly turns the tide of the battle.**

**I decided then to develop a little Pertamis, but nothing too major, I suppose. Apollo's reaction face-to-face will be soon, probably next chapter. Some others gods and goddesses might know, of course. Hestia is a definite probability.**

**Apart from that, I start off the quest of seven. Yes, of course Percy is one of the seven, and Will takes Annabeth's place. However, Artemis and the hunters join along, because, of course, why wouldn't they? **

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Field of Mars, Camp Jupiter**_

**Percy's POV**

As Polybotes melted into the earth, the monsters who noticed froze, staring at Artemis in shock and fear. The hunters and demigods let loose a great cheer, and attacked with even greater enthusiasm.

The Roman lines advanced, drawing inward among the monster army, which turned as if to flee. I wasn't about to let that happen, and focused at them. I took a deep breath, feeling the waters I needed.

Artemis seemed to notice what I was doing, and nodded as if in understanding. She took a step over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt the connection to the water increase as I breathed in and out. _Of course, Artemis is goddess of the moon, and the moon has a pull on water in the form of tides._

I took a deep breath out, and the Little Tiber diverted, along with half the water from the lake. It flowed across to the other side of the army, cutting off their path of retreat. They stumbled back and turned around, preparing to fight.

Just then, a hunting horn sounded. I glanced at Artemis, who had apparently decided to remain in her Greek form. She shook her head "Not any of the hunters, you should know that."

I was confused, and glanced around the battlefield, when I saw it. Another army appeared on the ridge—hundreds of warriors in black-and-gray camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts nocked in their crossbows.

They bore a banner which I recognized from spending so much time with the Hunters. After all, the two groups had gotten into quite a few arguments in the past over the topic of the male gender.

The Amazons, the female warriors of legend, now owners of the shipping company by the same name, had arrived upon the battle. I hoped they were on our side, but monsters began to laugh and shout in happiness.

The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their forklifts barreled into battle. The giant's army cheered—until the Amazons changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.

"Amazons, forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt around her waist.

"Queen Hylla!" said Hazel. "She survived!"

The Amazon queen shouted: "To my sister's aid! Destroy the monsters!"

"Destroy!" Her troops' cry echoed through the valley.

The Romans cried out in exuberance, while the Hunters gave a half-hearted grin. They respected the Amazons, but they didn't want to let them know it.

With the increased force in allies, the monsters were finished. The last few who managed to escape were picked off by archers from both camp and the hunters.

* * *

_Time Skip_

The Amazons were welcomed with full honors. I guess showing up with an armed force that's rearing to help was enough to get the Romans to like you. I have to remember that.

The Feast of Fortuna had nothingto do with tuna, which was fine with me.

Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, like he had for Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon, Hunter and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias—magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh-baked cookies.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling—which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. The cohorts tended to avoid the Hunter table, where I sat alongside Artemis and Thalia at the head of the table. Some of the Amazons and Hunters mingled, though. Hylla wandered over to our table, and informed us of how she had defeated her challenger Otrera, the daughter of Ares who supported Gaea, in two consecutive duels to the death, so that the Amazons were now calling her Hylla Twice-Kill.

Artemis welcomed her to sit near us, and soon she was laughing alongside the other hunters. She soon turned to me, though, and started talking to me. "Percy Jackson. I will admit, when I first saw you, standing amongst the Hunters, I wished nothing more than to run you through with my spear." Artemis' eyes flashed dangerously at that statement, while Thalia shifted slightly. I understood what she was referring to, and nodded my head. "However, my sister Reyna has informed me that you have apologized for your actions. So know that I do not hold any hatred over your… debacle." She gave a beautiful smile, before looking slightly puzzled. "Where is that girl, Annabeth, who you were with earlier? And for that matter, why do you sit among the hunters? They are not exactly fond of boys."

I tensed slightly at the question, while Thalia's eyes dropped. Artemis gave an unreadable expression, and some of the older hunters who knew the story looked away awkwardly. Reyna, Will, Hazel, and Frank, who were sitting at our table for the moment, gave varying expressions. Will looked sad, while the others looked puzzled. I had never shared much about my life on Olympus to them, and I had _never_ mentioned Annabeth. It was always a bit painful.

I decided to respond to the first question, when it became clear that others weren't going to answer. "Ah… Annabeth… she died on Olympus, fighting against the Titan Lord. She died a hero, one of the true Heroes of Olympus. Do you know of the prophecy?"

Hylla nodded awkwardly, sensing the tension. "Yes, some of the…" she glanced at the Romans at our table, "_older_ demigods under my command informed me of it. Though, I never heard the actual prophecy. As a daughter of Bellona, I knew better than to question why…" She trailed off, but I nodded to show I understood.

"Yeah, well, I have it memorized, anyway" I muttered, before taking a quick glance at Artemis to see whether it was okay for me to recite the prophecy to Hylla and the others. Artemis bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement, before waving a hand. A light barrier shimmered over the table, barely visible. She then spoke up, saying "There, Percy. I have put up a barrier, so that no one apart from those present will hear. The Great Prophecy is _not_ for all to hear, regardless of its passage."

I nodded, and said "Well, the Great Prophecy goes like this…" and recited it, while the Hunters, Romans, and Amazons listened on in rapt attention. Will, Artemis, and Thalia listened sadly, as they knew what it said, but remembered the lives that had been lost.

When I was done, Hylla bowed her head in sadness. "I assume then, that the girl, Annabeth, was one of the four? If I may ask, who were the others?" I shook my head, not wanting to respond. Reyna and the other Romans looked mystified and shocked, before Reyna spluttered out "What… What was that? I'd never heard of that before, and Octavian never mentioned it to me!"

I gave a short laugh, still troubled by the memories that had been brought up. "Of course you had not, Praetor. That wasn't a prophecy that concerned the Romans. It was a Greek prophecy, which dictated my life for sixteen years."

At these words, I got a few different reactions. Hazel was the first to respond, glancing at Will. "I heard from Will that you were the leader of the Greek camp, and all, and that you had a prophecy a few years ago, but gods, I never suspected…"

Frank widened his eyes, looking comical for a second. He said, "I heard that Will was a Greek, of course, and that you were his leader, but I didn't realize…"

Reyna leaned back into her chair. "Greeks… So they do exist. The old legends were true after all. Octavian will not be pleased to hear this." She then gave a start when she heard I was the leader of Camp Half-Blood, and looked at me in a new light.

I spoke up then, seeing a chance. "He'll have to. Your former Praetor, Jason, was sent to the Greek camp just as Will was sent here. Aunt Hera, or Juno if you prefer, switched both of you in order to help merge the camps. With Gaea rising, we can't afford to have divisions among the camps."

Reyna sighed, while the others gave varying expressions on their faces. "We will convene a meeting in the morning to discuss this."

Artemis then grinned, saying "As for why he sits with us, well, that's because he's a good dishwasher."

I rolled my eyes at the repetitive joke, but it had much the same effect, as the others all laughed somewhat. The barrier shimmered and disappeared as we moved the topic away from the Great Prophecy.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, pretending to be angry. The hunters just increased their laughter.

Thalia finally spoke up, saying "Percy here is a good guy, even if he is an idiot. We trust him around us, he's not one to, ah, _stray_. Lady Diana would kill him, after all." She gave me a knowing grin, causing me to blush slightly and look away.

Artemis laughed, and said "Yes, I suppose I would." I muttered in response, "Good to know that you trust me, guys..." They laughed, and we all kept talking into the night.

* * *

_Time Skip_

After the party, we all drifted off to our respective locations. Artemis and the Hunters dragged me over to their place for the night, and I decided to just give in.

Artemis pulled me into her room, looking distinctly nervous. Feeling much the same, I leaned against the wall.

"Percy…. I don't regret my decisions earlier. However, I can't just keep ignoring my oath. I swore an oath forsaking men to my father, Zeus. It is what allows me the hunters, I cannot just revoke it," she stated, sadly.

I frowned, realizing that she was torn between her emotions. "Can I ask what the oath was, Artemis?"

She took a breath, and recited "'_I ask of you, Father Zeus, for a bow made of moonlight, and arrows forged of moonbeams. In addition, I request that I never have to marry, to remain an eternal maiden, and for a group of followers to call my own, for hunting.'_ I then swore upon my father's name to forever uphold the requests I had been given."

I smiled slightly, and said "Okay. Well, you asked to never _have_ to marry, right? You can _choose_ to marry. And I'm okay with you remaining an eternal maiden." I blushed, muttering the last part.

Artemis looked at me with a surprised expression on her face, before getting up and hugging me. "You're fine with that? Don't you… want kids?" She asked, looking away at the last part, her face slightly red.

"Well, perhaps someday, but for now, all I care about is being with you, Arty." I hugged back, completely serious.

She looked at me with an expression of shock, before giving a beautiful smile that made my heart skip a beat. She leaned in and kissed me passionately, before muttering a thank-you. Her hand never left mine for the rest of the night, as we talked.

* * *

_Time Skip_

I ended up sleeping in Artemis' room, even though the hunters had provided one for me. We didn't do anything untoward, mind you.

I woke up with a light weight on my chest, and I cracked an eye open to see that Artemis had rolled over during the night and, well, _cuddled_ up next to me. I was understandably nervous, considering that she might forget the last few days and zap me into a furry critter for good before she really woke up.

I heard some light giggling to my left, and turning my head slightly as to not disturb her sleep, looked to see Thalia, Phoebe, and Cassie sitting on the small couch the room had. Cassie was giggling, while the others were trying hard not to. Thalia held a small camera in her hand, and Phoebe had a microphone and recording device in hers.

When I noticed that, my eyes widened and I let out a yelp, causing Artemis to stir. She raised her head groggily to look at me, and said "Percy? What… oh, I'm still dreaming. Be quieter…" and turned around, snuggling up against me.

We all froze at that, Thalia and Phoebe having a nasty grin on their face while I started blushing furiously. Cassie turned her head in a cute way, trying to understand what had just happened.

I then spoke up, staring pointedly away from Artemis, embarrassed. "Thalia…. Why do you have a camera in your hand?"

She gave a grin and raised it, saying "Blackmail material. You and milady asleep in the same bed… Why, I wonder what her brother would say about that? Or for that matter, what would _my dad_ say?"

I couldn't take it, and lunged at her, completely forgetting that Artemis was on top of me. She fell off of me and onto the ground, waking up with a yelp of annoyance. I barely noticed, tackling Thalia and wrestling for the camera. Phoebe made to help, but then Artemis spoke up, "What's going on? What… Is that a camera?! And is that a _microphone_ in Phoebe's hands?" She then blushed angrily, realizing just why they'd have a camera and microphone.

Needless to say, we all decided not to mention that incident ever again. Artemis forced them to delete all the copies, and we all wisely decided not to mention what the goddess had muttered when sleeping.

* * *

_Time Skip_

"Why should we trust these Greeks?" Octavian was saying.

He'd been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what Will had told them about Juno's plan and the Prophecy of Seven.

The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too afraid to interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll. Meanwhile the sun climbed in the sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural spotlight.

The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Diana, Thalia, Phoebe, Frank, Hazel, Will, and I sat in the front row with the senators. Veterans and ghosts filled the back rows. The rest of the hunters sat or stood near the exits, away from the guys. I was sitting next to both Will and Diana, whose hand had slipped into mine surreptitiously and unnoticeably, considering we all shared armrests.

Reyna occupied a praetor's chair on the dais, next to an empty duplicate, which only served to remind Percy of Jason's absence. He cheered himself up mentally, realizing that Jason would show up today.

"The camp is safe," Octavian continued. "I'll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?"

"I'm glad you asked." I stood, taking the question as an opening. Octavian stammered, "I wasn't—"

"—part of the quest," I said. "Yes, I know. Will was," I gestured toward the archer, who grinned and waved at the crowd, "And you'd be wise to let me explain, considering that Lady Diana here is getting impatient." It wasn't true, considering that she sat through Olympian meetings, but it was funny seeing Octavian's face grow pale.

Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed, failing utterly.

"Gaea is waking," Percy said. "We demigods have defeated three of her giants, but that's only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece."

An uneasy ripple spread through the senate. People stared muttering, before Diana stood alongside me. She shouted, "Quiet!"

I nodded toward her, letting her know she could continue. "I am disappointed in you, children of Rome. Are you questioning me? To question Percy is to question me, and the rest of the Olympians."

The campers paled, and I dipped my head when she turned to me. "Romans, you know me as Perseus Jackson, the Son of Neptune, and Ambassador of Olympus. But long before I joined the Twelfth Legion, I was, and still continue to this day to be, Perseus Jackson, the Son of Poseidon, Leader of the Greek Camp Half-Blood, Savior of Olympus, and a bunch of other titles I don't care to address here. I am a proud Roman of the Legion, is that not true?" I gave a questioning stare to the room, and receiving a bunch of nods, continued "I am proud to call myself a Roman Legionnaire, but I am also a proud Greek Hero. The gods have kept our two camps apart because whenever we meet, we fight. But that can change. It _has _to change if we're to defeat Gaea. That's what the Prophecy of Seven means. Seven demigods, Greek and Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together."

"Ha!" shouted a Lar from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven; it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?"

Octavian smiled smugly. Some of his allies in the senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain.

"Do you doubt the gods, Lar?" Diana spoke, raising an eyebrow in silent disdain. The ghost trembled in fear, responding, "No-o-o, Milady. Of course not! It is as you say!"

Reyna spoke up then, saying "In addition, this is Percy Jackson. He is the Ambassador of Olympus, favored of many of the gods. Like Lady Diana has said, to question his words is to question Mighty Olympus. While I wish he had told me this before, as his praetor," she shot me a glare, "I understand his reasons. We will prepare to meet Jason and the Greeks in their warship."

Octavian spoke up, "Who are these mythical seven, then? Are you one, _Ambassador_?" He said the last word as if it was the worst thing he could think of, causing Diana to glare at him angrily. He grew so pale my ADHD mind wondered whether Hades could just claim him now and save himself the trouble later.

I take a deep breath, and state "The Seven of the Prophecy are as follows: Praetor Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter; Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite, Aphrodite Cabin Leader; Leo Valdez, Son of Hephaestus; Centurion Frank Zhang, Son of Mars; Legionnaire Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto; Legionnaire Will Solace, Son of Apollo, Apollo Cabin Leader; and me, Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, Ambassador to Olympus, Leader of Camp Half-Blood, Savior of Olympus, etc. "

* * *

**Authors Note: Well, that's that. I guess it wasn't as long as some chapters, but I ran a bit low on inspiration, trying to plan this chapter through the week. I hope you liked the Pertamis; I try to keep it semi-realistic and humorous. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, etc. commenting on the chapter, I read all of them before writing the chapter. Also, I want to see what you guys want to know about the story, or what I should plan, so I'm starting a little something:**

**1. Every 25****th**** reviewer posting a question (ex. Review #175, Review #200, etc.), starting this chapter and going on for the next two chapters, will get it answered via PM, no matter what it is. I will plan it out if it isn't already.**

**2. Other questions posted **_**may**_** be answered via Author's Notes in the next chapter, while others will be answered in latter A/N's, when they'd only be spoilers for the chapter. **

**3. Questions about something that's already happened is fine, I'll answer all of those in the next chapter A/N, and if that's the 25****th**** review, you get one more question.**

**4. We're at Review #155 at the time of this post, do your math correctly.**

**As always, please review and recommend!**


	11. Chapter 11 -- Prophecies and Gods

**Authors Note: Well, I'm glad to see the reviews, favorites, follows, and all that good stuff. I'm happy that you guys love my story, and I plan to continue it. Sorry for taking so long, its AP exams week, then SOL week, and I've been busy studying. My computer monitor was also busted, and I've had to find and hook up an external one. I have just found time for a quick update.**

**In response to my readers:**

**1) Thank you for pointing out that it is indeed Pertemis, not Pertamis. I will correct that from this chapter onward, and make a note to correct the previous chapters later.**

**2) The oath is of my own construction, I don't believe the actual oath has been uncovered anywhere. I tried to make it realistic, based on the most common stories of the Hunter Goddess, and what she asked her father for.**

**3) I'm going to follow the storyline of the book **_**Mark of Athena**_**, yes, but it'll be different, considering Annabeth isn't there. Read this chapter to find out!**

**4) Well, the reason they react like that is that means that Percy shows up in Artemis' dreams. Take it as you will, but that sounds sketchy to me.**

**Keep asking questions, I'll always try to respond if possible. It's great seeing what you guys want to know.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**You'll see Poseidon's reaction here to the news, which I hope you'll like. Apart from that, it's the start of the **_**Mark of Athena**_**, with a nice modified prophecy to go along with it. I modified the prophecy to develop the Pertemis a bit with a solo mission. I hope the interaction between Minerva and the others is alright, I tried to follow the character based off the little interaction between her and Annabeth in the canon.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Senate House, Camp Jupiter**_

**Percy's POV**

As I finish stating the seven of the prophecy, the senators explode into loud debates, with shouting and yelling all across the room.

Diana rolls her eyes at me, and shouts "Silence! Gather yourselves, Romans, and act with the dignity of the ancient Senate. The seven listed are chosen by prophecy, and cannot be debated."

The discussion immediately halts, with some of them having the decency to look abashed. Octavian's face is an amusing purple, as if he couldn't decide which emotion he wanted to display. Before he could speak, though, a messenger rushed into the Senate House, gasping as if he'd run all the way from camp.

"Praetor, I'm sorry to interrupt, but our scouts report—"

Thalia pointed at a hole in the ceiling, saying "Yup, right on schedule."

Sure enough, a Greek warship appeared out of the clouds, about a half a mile away, descending toward the Senate House. As it got closer, I could see bronze shields glinting along the sides, billowing sails, and a familiar-looking figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. On the tallest mast, a big white flag of truce snapped in the wind.

It was the _Argo II. _It was the most incredible ship I'd ever seen, considering I hadn't been there during its construction.

"Praetor!" the messenger cried. "What are your orders?"

Octavian shot to his feet. "You need to ask?" His face was red with rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. "The omens are _horrible_! This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!"

I shout, angry at the blond idiot, "I think not! Stand down, Romans! I pledge upon the sacred gods of Olympus that they come in peace!"

That pretty much shut everyone up, and we went outside to meet the other members of the prophecy.

* * *

_Time-Skip_

We met the others, and had a nice little lunch together. Reyna was glaring at Piper and Jason during the second half of the lunch, after realizing that they were a couple. I mentioned this to Artemis, who chuckled and told me to shut up.

It was decided that we'd set sail for Greece the next morning, so I decided to take a walk along the lake with Artemis before we went to her temple.

We were content just relaxing, talking about old adventures and hunts, when she suddenly stiffened, and vanished in a quick flash of light. I was confused, but then the waters of the lake rose up then dropped.

There stood my dad, Poseidon, looking like he always did. He smiled, and said "Hello, Percy."

I respond enthusiastically, only slightly depressed that Artemis had to go, "Dad!" He smiled at my answer, and said "Come, walk with me, son."

As we walked on the shore of the lake, I decided to speak up. "Umm…. Dad, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

Poseidon laughed, and said "I was speaking with Triton earlier, Percy. He recently pointed out something that I had forgotten." He waved his hand, and a trident appeared. It wasn't his symbol of power, which was celestial bronze with glowing blue-green tips. This one was still forged from celestial bronze, but didn't have glowing tips. A small Trident, symbolizing Poseidon, was etched upon the side.

He gave it to me, saying "This is yours, Perseus. A gift I should have given when you came of age. Triton pointed out that as a Prince of the Sea, you should have a symbol befitting one, especially as you are an immortal. I had this forged with his help, you know. I think he really appreciates the favor you are doing him with his child."

I had no idea what to say, and was staring at him with an expression of incredulousness on my face. My dad just grinned and went on, saying "The weapon will appear went you request it to. If you were a god, I could call it your symbol of power. As it is, the trident is tied to you, and can be summoned by only you or people close to you."

He then gave a grin, "So, speaking of which, how is that going, eh? Am I going to see any grandchildren soon?"

"Dad! It's… She's still the maiden goddess…. We've only started-ack." I stammer out, just as he says "I'm joking, son. I didn't mean anything by - Did you just say 'maiden goddess'?" He stares at me, and I look away awkwardly, blushing furiously.

He then looks up at the moon, and says "Artemis! A minute of your time, please, niece!"

A flash of silver light and Artemis stands with us, looking calm and stoic as normal. "Yes, uncle?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"So…. Tell me, when did you start dating my son?" Poseidon questions her, looking intimidating.

She freezes, and blushes furiously, saying "Uncle! What are you- I'm –how did you find out?" she states dejectedly, staring pointedly at me.

"It was an accident, he tricked me!" I protest, and my dad laughs. He then turns to Artemis, and says "So, it's true? He's dating you of all people, daughter of Zeus?"

I protest, "Dad!" just as Artemis stares at him, saying "Yes, uncle. Percy is one of the few great men in this world, and I have fallen in love with him."

I blush at that, but Poseidon looks at her for a minute before grinning. "Good. And please, niece, you should know I don't judge people by their parents, even if you are the daughter of my annoying brother. Treat him well." He then vanishes into a sea breeze, chuckling.

* * *

_Time Skip_

After waking up, I headed out to the Field of Mars, where the rest of the seven were meeting up. Jason, Piper, and Leo were there already, while Hazel, Frank, and Will were going to meet us in a few minutes, after completing morning drills. We were set to leave at ten, with a sendoff by the hunters and the Romans. Phoebe and Holly were accompanying Artemis, who told me she wanted to come along as godly support.

Thinking about that, I turned to ask her something as we walked along to the Field. "Hey, Arty, I have a question." I ask. She turns to look at me, her hand in mine. "Yes, Perseus?" she teasingly asks. I query, "Well, you're a goddess, right?" She laughs, responding "Yes, Percy, I am most definitely a goddess." I nod, saying "Right. And aren't gods and goddesses bound by ancient laws or something preventing them from going along on quests?"

Artemis smiles, and replies "Yes, Percy, we are indeed bound by Ancient Laws, set by my father Zeus, and his father before him, and his father before him. They were passed by the ruling deities of the time, and for the most part have not changed often. We Greek immortals cannot interact with quests directly, unless mentioned in said quest. However, we are free to help our priests or priestesses without breaking the laws. And as goddess of the hunt, my hunters fall under this rule, and I am allowed along."

I frown, and ask "Wait, but Arty, none of your hunters are part of the quest. How…?" Artemis responds quietly, furiously blushing, "It also counts for… well, lovers. And you're an honorary part of the hunt, anyways."

I shut up at that, and we get near the Argo II. As we get near, she releases my hand, as to not draw any unneeded attention and whatnot. I feel slightly annoyed at that, but shake my head slightly to clear it.

* * *

_Time Skip_

Rachel had come along the trip, in her role as Oracle of Delphi, and we were planning to ask her for a prophecy. At the moment, however, she was engaged in a furious shouting match with Octavian, while the rest of us watched in amusement.

"You think that you, girl, are an oracle? Hah, I've been gifted with the power of prophecy, and my family has been augurs for generations!" Octavian blustered.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Have you ever given a prophecy before in your life? From what I hear, you just massacre small stuffed animals. Is it because you were attacked by one as a child? Is poor little Octavian scared of teddy bears?" Rachel teased, completely in her element.

Octavian turned an interesting shade of purple and red, before spluttering "Wha-wha-what?" The rest of us laughed at his discomfort. No one present, including the quest members, the hunters, and some of the senators, liked Octavian.

"I said, Octavian, are you scared of teddy bears? Is that why you maul them, pretending to read prophecies?" Rachel replied, amused.

Octavian gave a non-committal splutter, and fell silent for a second before responding, "No! That's not it at all. And in any case, it is time to leave, so let us give the prophecy." He cleared his throat and lifted his teddy bear, but before he could stab it, Rachel turned to me, closing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:

_I am the spirit of Delphi_, the voice of the Oracle said, _Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask._

I stepped forward slightly, and said "What must we do to defeat Gaea?"

More green smoke poured out of her mouth, and she spoke her next words chillingly.

_The Maiden of Light and the Oceans' Son,_

_Delve into catacombs, working as one._

_They endure many trials, walking alone,_

_The Mark of Athena burns through Rome._

_Twins snuff out the angel's breath, _

_Who holds the key to endless death._

_Giants' bane stands gold and pale,_

_Won through pain from a woven jail._

The mist disappears as she swoons forward. One of the hunters catches her, and Rachel shakes her head. "So," Rachel says. "What was the prophecy this time?" I tell her it, and she nods.

Behind me, Artemis shakes her head. "The Mark of Athena…." She mutters. She then raises her voice, saying "Minerva! A word, please."

A flash of light and someone is standing in front of us on the Field of Mars. Minerva appears as a young woman in jeans, hiking boots, and a red flannel shirt. She is dressed like she is prepared for a long journey, wearing a backpack and carrying around a walking stick.

It was unmistakably the Roman form of Athena, as their faces were identical, but Minerva appeared weaker. She then started speaking, "Artemis. Why have you called me in my Roman form, you know I -"She then seems to notice where she is.

"Romans…" she hissed, brandishing her walking stick as if it was her spear. "Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Why are we here, Artemis?" She directs the last part at the goddess with a snarl, pointing her stick at Octavian.

Artemis speaks clearly, saying "We are here because we need the Mark of Athena, Minerva. Your blessed has received a prophecy saying that we need to follow it. Do you see your blessed, Minerva? We need the mark to unite the two camps."

Minerva seems to notice me for the first time, saying "Ah, my blessed. Yes, my blessed will avenge me." She then appears to get angry at Artemis' latter words, saying "Unite? No blessed of mine will make peace with the camps. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children and followers destroy the usurpers."

She turns to me, and takes a silver coin out of her pocket. "I used to be more than this, you know. I was feared and respected, a wise goddess of war and strategy. But these nasty Romans" here she brandished her stick at Octavian, who flinched amusingly, "changed me. I became a weak minor goddess. I carried a shield and spear once! If you are truly blessed by me, do not follow these worthless dishonorable Romans." She tossed the coin at me, and I caught it.

Her next words were spoken with the same force of command that Athena would have used; they had the same tone of voice which forces you to obey, that of a teacher or a commander. She disappeared into a flash of light, saying:

"Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me!"

* * *

**Authors Note: Well, that's this chapter. I would have made it longer, but I thought that I had withheld updates long enough. I'll try to post another chapter tomorrow, which holds the bulk of the **_**Mark of Athena**_**. **

**Hopefully, this chapter answered all your questions, feel free to ask more. And I'm changing the contest; one user in every 25 reviews will be privately messaged for the chance to get one spoiler-be-damned question answered.**

**As always, please review and recommend!**


	12. Chapter 12 -- Tar Monsters Don't Exist

**Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews and such, I'm glad to see you guys liked the chapter. Sorry it took so long for this update, but it was big, as I was trying to cover a good bulk of the **_**Mark of Athena**_**. I had to split the work in two, since I thought it was harsh to deny you guys a chapter. The next chapter will take a little while. Now, in response to some of the questions in the reviews:**

**1) I never considered him meeting Annabeth again; I might do something like that. It'd be fun to see, all things considered. **

**2) Percy becoming a god? Hmm, wait and see….**

_***spoiler alert***_

**I hope you guys like the story, I tried to cover a good part of the book, but had to split it due to both length and timing. Hopefully the fight makes sense; I tried to reason out how it'd work with the addition of Artemis on board.**

**This chapter develops the Pertemis, in a hopefully realistic manner. If there's one thing I hate, it's the sappy romance that many lesser fanfics use for Pertemis. I'm a romantic, myself, and it makes no goddamned sense to me to have Artemis suddenly turn into Aphrodite in terms of the gushiness and lust. **

**Artemis is a stoic and calm goddess who had no sense of romantic love or lust. Given the one suspension of logic that is required for any Pertemis story, the only character trait that changes in her is the ability to romantically love, and at the very extreme the beginnings of lust. That **_**does not **_**mean that she becomes some horny chick. In my story, they've kissed a couple times, and held hands once or twice. That's somewhat understandable, as they share a close friendship, developed mostly off-screen. I'm trying to make up for the lost character development by fleshing out their characters here. **

**Sorry for the rant, but hopefully that explains my plan and my thoughts for this.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Field of Mars, Camp Jupiter**_

**Percy's POV**

"What… What was that?" I state, confused.

Artemis sighs, and says "Perseus, that was Minerva. She is the Roman aspect of Athena, as you might guess. She was the most Greek of the gods, you know, patron of Athens. When the Romans took over, they adopted Athena after a fashion. She became Minerva, the goddess of crafts and cleverness. But the Romans had _other _war gods who were more to their taste, more reliably Roman—like Bellona—"

Reyna spoke up questioningly, "My mother?"

"Yes, maiden, like your mother." Artemis confirmed. "And the Romans had Mars, of course. And later, there was Mithras—not even properly Greek or Roman, but the legionnaires were crazy about his cult. At any rate, the Romans quite sidelined my sister. They took away most of her military importance. The Greeks never forgave the Romans for that insult. Neither did Athena."

The Romans shivered and murmured uneasily, some of them, like Octavian, staring at us Greeks like we'd start screaming and charging at them demanding vengeance. The Greeks and Hunters were looking at the goddess, some in doubt, others in shock, and some, like me, in curiosity.

"What exactly is the Mark of Athena?" I question, holding up the coin. Will Solace spoke up, "You mentioned that the mark would lead to unity between the two camps, right Lady Artemis?" Receiving a nod from the deity, he continued. "It stands to reason then that it then leads to something that is causing the conflict between them. Considering Ancient Rome's nature of conquest, it'd probably be something that they stole from Greece. Something sacred to Athena—" He froze, staring at Artemis, his jaw dropping. "It couldn't be the Athena Parthenos, could it?"

Artemis spoke up, giving a sort of sad nod to the archer. "Yes. Brilliant reasoning, nephew, are you sure you're a son of my brother? In any case, yes, it is the Athena Parthenos."

Some of the Hunters cried out in shock and anger, while the others looked irritated. Thalia, Piper, Leo and I looked confused, while Jason stood with a pained expression on his face. The Romans for the most part looked just as confused as I did, with some, like Octavian and Reyna, paling in fear and disbelief.

Phoebe growled in anger, "What! No! These Romans stole it?"

Piper spoke calmingly, using her charmspeak, "Everyone calm down. Yes, please, everyone calm down. Are you calm? Good. Now, Lady Artemis, could you please explain what the Athena Parthenos is?"

Everyone calmed down as the soothing commands of the charmspeak took over, and Artemis nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, child, they were unruly. The Athena Parthenos is the most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens. It is the symbol of my half-sister, Athena, and a sign of the might of the Greeks."

Jason took over, completing the story. "To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally _stole _Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess. That's the story passed down by the praetors."

"And the chosen of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Artemis said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like Percy. They follow the Mark of Athena…a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue, hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back. We must follow in their footsteps, but _we_ will succeed, and return alive."

* * *

_Sometime later_

_**Argo II, California**_

We took off after the resulting discussion, setting sail for Greece. Artemis was spared having to explain about how she could come along by the contents of the prophecy. We were both grateful for that, considering that explanation would have been awkward and fraught with lies.

A violent explosion rocked me out of my musing as I sat in my cabin. Within seconds, I was up on deck, where a god was standing where the side of the ship used to be. Violent winds blew in our direction, while _venti_ formed beside the man. He was tall and wiry, but well built, like most gods. He had white angel wings on his back, but a cruel grin on his face.

Artemis was next to me in another second and Jason came up on my other side. The others were already there. Leo was scrambling to stabilize the Argo II in the force of the sudden and powerful east wind that was threatening to blast the ship down. Phoebe and Holly had their bows out, arrows nocked and pointed at the _venti_. Piper had unsheathed Katoptris, and Will was standing by with his bow nocked, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble. Hazel had her spatha out, and Frank had his bow readied. Jason was reaching for his gladius, and I was holding Riptide in pen form, ready to uncap it.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the god, saying "Eurus? God of the East Wind, what brings you here?"

Oh. I guess that explains the _east_ wind blowing at us.

Eurus laughed, and said "Isn't it obvious, _milady?_ Gaea has promised great things to those who join her. I could not pass up this opportunity to gain the respect and power I deserve. I am the East Wind, the wind which brought warmth and rain to the lands of Greece. But was I ever respected? No! I was known as the unlucky wind, and my brothers took all the fame. I say, let you Olympians fall. Gaea will rise, and nature blooms under my wind."

Artemis tensed, but then gave a laugh of derision. "You think you could fight off _me_, minor god? I am one of the strongest of the Olympians, you stand no chance."

Eurus gave a pained smile, almost a grimace. "Of course not, my dear; I wouldn't dream of being able to fight you. _I_ am not the one you're to fight. He is." He gestured behind him, where another god materialized into existence.

No, never mind, this was no god. It was subtle, but the feeling I got from this guy was different from that of a god. This guy was definitely a divine, but his power felt older.

So, he was a Titan, then. The only question was which one. Artemis' intake of breath and a muttered curse was enough to make me worry. "What? Who is he, Artemis?" I question tersely.

"He is Perses, the Titan of Destruction," was her reply, and I uttered a curse of my own. Perses was one of the strongest of the titans, due to his domain. We could expect no help from Artemis in this fight, then. Perses was buff, and had a cruel smile that reminded me of his uncles Hyperion, Iapetus, or Kronos. He was clad in standard Greek armor, and had an aura of power of the likes I hadn't felt since fighting the aforementioned Titans.

"Artemis, fight Perses. I'll take Eurus. Everyone else, you guys take care of the storm spirits, and protect Leo. Leo, try and land the Argo near some water." I spoke quickly, my blessing kicking in as I assumed the role of commander. Everyone gave a confirmatory reply, and the battle commenced.

I charged toward Eurus, who looked startled for a second before jumping backward and into the open air. His wings opened up and he laughed. "Foolish demigod, you think you can challenge _me_ in the air?" His hand shimmered, and a grey bow appeared in his hand, a quiver of celestial bronze arrows slung across his back. His robes melted into Greek battle armor, and he took off.

I opened and raised my shield as I frantically blocked all the arrows he shot at me, rolling and dodging the rest. I was pressed into defense, unable to fight. This continued for some time, as the sounds of battle grew around me. I took a quick glance as Eurus swooped to get a better angle.

Jason was whirling through the _venti_, but more kept forming from the wind Eurus was controlling. Piper stabbed anyone who got close to Leo, who was frantically lowering the ship while blasting the storm spirits who Piper couldn't hit. Holly and Phoebe were working with Will, firing at everything they could see, while Frank and Hazel were defending them, Frank having turned into a small dragon to fight. Artemis was trading blows with Perses, whose broadsword was overpowering the smaller goddess.

I tensed as I thought of something, and on Eurus' next volley, dodged by rolling nearer to Artemis. "Arty! Switch! I can't land a blow on Eurus, but you can. I'll take the big guy!" I shouted. Artemis shoved Perses back in a burst of strength, and nodded toward me. I got up, and ran toward Perses, while Artemis dashed toward me.

Perses laughed, and rumbled "So be it, foolish demigod. Fight me, if you want, it will be your undoing." Eurus laughed behind me, and started trading volleys with Artemis, swooping out the way of her shots.

I slashed at the Titan, who raised his sword to block the attack. I bashed him with my shield while our blades were locked, and he stumbled for a second before roaring and slashing at me in a strike meant to cleave me in two. I jumped back to avoid the attack, and whirled around attacking him with a strike for his neck. He raised his sword to block, but my shield came up on the other side. I knocked the sword out of his grasp and slashed his chest, pushing him backward.

"Mortal!" He roared, summoning his blade back into his grasp. He slammed it into the group, blasting everything back in a radius around him, including his allies. I held my ground, barely, and only because of my curse. Swapping my shield for my hunting knife, I pulled it out of its sheath from behind me and prepared to attack, watching behind Perses.

Just then, with a mighty shudder, the Argo II crashed/landed on the shores of a lake, kicking up a spray of water. The water revitalized me and stunned Perses, which I used to charge at the Titan of Destruction. He recovered and blocked my strike, and shoved me back before I could use my other hand. He narrowed his eyes, and gestured behind him. "Shall we, demigod?"

I grinned, and nodded. He jumped back onto the white sand, and I followed, meaning to attack, when a cry of victory made me turn. Artemis shouted in joy as she managed to knock Eurus out of the sky, by far the superior archer to the minor god of the wind. The weaker deity crashed onto the shore, the raging wind dying. Artemis snapped her hand, and celestial bronze chains erupted from the ground.

"Be gone, foolish god." She snarled at the struggling divine, and he vanished, sent to Olympus. She gave a smile, and jumped down beside me, notching an arrow at Perses. He growled in anger, and then slammed his sword into the ground. It started cracking and breaking as he used his powers as Titan of Destruction.

Pure devastation started racing toward us, when Artemis raised a hand. A barrier of light halted its progress, as she used her might as an Olympian to block it with a wall of energy. I wasted no time, and took a deep breath and stretch out my hand. With a pull on my gut, I felt something form in my hand, Riptide retreating to my pocket. Startled, I watched the Trident my father Poseidon gave me form in my hand. As soon as I gripped it, I felt the vast energy of the oceans flow through me. I felt re-energized, like I was submersed in water.

Instinctively, I gave a shout and jabbed at Perses with the Trident, disregarding the fact that the Titan was some distance away. A powerful bolt of blue energy lanced toward the divine, as the waters of the lake rose to envelop him. He was blasted back by the blast, and gave a shout of pain.

Artemis looked just as startled as he did, staring at my weapon. "That's—" She didn't complete her sentence, however, before I raised my hand and commanded the water that had drenched Perses. Giant waves smashed into the Titan, disabling him from doing anything, breaking his concentration. I charged at him, raising my Trident and stabbing at him. Perses was impaled by my trident right through the chest. Divine or not, that had to hurt.

He collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath. He stared at me, golden ichor bleeding out his chest. "I am impressed, demigod. I should have recognized you before. Grandmother told me to fight the demigods and gods on this ship, and nothing more. I didn't think I would be fighting you, Perseus Jackson. It was an honor falling to you, young one. Your skill was impressive, and I didn't think that you would have a divine symbol of power. I can see why they call you Titan-slayer, mortal." And with that, he faded into particles of light, which seeped into the ground, leaving only my trident.

The others joined Artemis behind me, and we stood there for a few seconds, in shock. Artemis spoke up. "Perseus, what is that trident? May I see it?" I handed it to her, and she examined it for a few seconds before speaking up. "Ah, I see. I mistook it for your father's trident. It is _very_ similar, right down to the type of power emanating from it. It is weaker, however, as it was not remade by the Elder Cyclopes. Still, this is a weapon fit for a deity. How did you come by this, Percy?" She directed the question toward me.

"My dad gave it to me as a belated birthday present. He said he and Triton forged it for me, the latter as a sort of thank-you for a promise I had made him. He said… he said if I were a god, it'd be my symbol of power." I told them, still dazed over the fact that I defeated a _Titan_ by myself.

She nodded, and gave it back to me. "That is true. It is a divine weapon, of a much higher grade of celestial bronze than demigods enjoy. It is akin to a symbol of power, and certainly possesses the strength to be considered one. Keep it close, Percy." I nodded, and let it fade into nothing, the knowledge of how to do so coming instinctively.

Now that the spectacle was over, I turned to the others. "Is everyone okay? Is the ship repairable?" I directed the last question mainly at Leo.

"Ugh. I talked to Festus just now," Leo said. "Could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. We'll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, wood, lime—"

"What do you need limes for?" Frank asked, resulting in a small chuckle from the rest of us.

"Dude, I said _lime_. Calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other— ah, never mind. The point is that this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it." Leo responded, dejectedly. "The way the hull and the oars are, we won't be able to lift off again until we repair."

Artemis spoke up, "We have gotten lucky with the landing, then. This white sand is lime. There is a forge of Hephaestus nearby. Some celestial bronze should be scattered around here. And the mortal city should provide sources of tar."

"No offense, Lady, but that wasn't luck, it was all skill. I had Festus report damage and calculate a landing nearby which would have everything we need." Leo responded, pointing at himself with a cocky grin. Artemis rolled her eyes at him, but didn't comment.

Jason spoke up, saying "Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze, while another stays here and grabs the lime sand. One team goes and gets wood. The others can stay on the ship and fix what they can."

We all nodded. Holly spoke up. "Milady, you and Percy go into town and get the tar. Phoebe and I will head to the forests for wood." Piper raised an eyebrow, but responded "Okay then. Jason and I will get the lime." Hazel frowned slightly, saying "Frank, you got injured. Stay with Will and get treated."

Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest, but winced in pain. He had a gash on one side, courtesy of one of the _venti_. "I…I suppose. But who will you go with?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here." She fidgeted with her sword hilt. "We'll get the bronze. We can all meet back here by dark."

* * *

_**Salt Lake City, Utah**_

Artemis and I traveled to Salt Lake City quickly, using my sea-travel and her godly-teleportation thingy. As soon as we appeared on the outskirts of town, she let out a sigh.

"That was a harrowing battle, Percy." She sighed, shaking her head. "The Titan of Destruction and the God of the East Wind, both were working together to defeat us. The later was surprisingly strong, as he was in his domain."

I put an arm around her and hugged her with that arm, pulling her in slightly. "Well, it's over, Arty. Just relax, alright? We just have to go to the nearest supply store and get some roofing tar. No monsters, no giants, no divines, just two people going to a store and buying some supplies." I grinned, thinking of something. "Call it an impromptu date."

Artemis blushed furiously at that, but arched an eyebrow. "You take a girl on a date to a supply store to buy tar? I'm not the best at romance, but that doesn't sound like a normal date."

I laughed, responding "Well, it's just me and you, having fun. And plus, we're not exactly normal. Who knows, with my luck, we'll run into some tar monsters."

Artemis giggles, and responds by swatting me. "I can assure you there are no such things as _tar monsters_, Percy. Honestly, the things you boys think of."

* * *

"Still saying there are no such things as tar monsters, Arty?" I shout at her, ducking behind an aisle. She responds from the other direction, shouting "They're not tar monsters; they're a pair of dracaena throwing tar at us!"

"They're monsters. Who use tar as a weapon. I'm pretty sure they count as tar monsters!" I laugh, before decapitating one of them. A silver arrow hits the other one, turning it into dust.

Artemis approaches from the other aisle, laughing and shaking her head. "You're insane, Percy." I grin, responding "And you have tar on your tunic."

She looks down and growls in irritation, brushing a hand to try and rub it off. It doesn't help, and the tar is on her hand as well. I laugh at her actions, before she lobs some at me. "Hey!"

"Now you do, too," she laughs, before grabbing an unopened bucket of tar. I do the same, and we go to pay for it.

* * *

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

"We ran into some tar monsters." I told her, causing Artemis to laugh slightly. I grinned at her confusion. "Hazel, where's Leo?" She pointed down. "He's in the engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. I almost spilled my bucket of tar. Artemis tilts her head slightly, asking "What was that?"

"Oh…" Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like…_all _of them."

Artemis chuckles, and says "I will speak to them. I am their goddess, after all, and they won't dare refuse my commands."

Leo grabbed my bucket of tar, while Frank took the other one from the goddess. Said goddess left for the deck, Phoebe and Holly right behind her. Hazel and Piper left for their cabins, while Frank and Jason went to go help Leo. I stayed where I was, taking a seat and sighing.

In the engine room below, it sounded like Leo and the others were doing an Irish line dance with anvils tied to their feet. After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and I felt the ship lift into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: "AM LEO". But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way. "Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "It's been a crazy day, huh?"

* * *

After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods (and goddess) gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together.

The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Jason's and my powers. In an awkward moment, we both tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, I ceded the chair to Artemis, and sat next to her. Phoebe took a seat on the other side, with Holly next to her. On my left was Leo, who sat next to Piper. Jason sat next to her, and across from him was Frank, while Hazel sat between them and Holly. Will sat across from Artemis, taking the opposite head of the table.

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.

Artemis scowled at the mention of Nemesis. "She is an annoying goddess, with the power to quite a bit. Be careful, boy." She warned Leo, who nodded.

I spoke up, saying "We should go quickly. The more we delay the more problems Gaea can cause."

"You're right," Piper decided. "We have to keep going. We have to hurry." Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean _Rome _Rome, not New Rome?" The tension in the room increased. "I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time." Artemis was stoic, though she frowned in irritation. "Why would it be six days?" I wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?" No one answered. "There's more," Piper said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife." Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as…?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike, maybe twins."

Artemis grimaced, and said "Otis and Ephialtes. They were born to oppose Dionysus. This is not good. We must seek out Dionysus."

I asked, "Wouldn't he be in Camp Half-Blood?" Will nodded, while the others looked confused. "Why would the god be at your camp?" Hazel wondered out loud.

"He's our camp director. He hates all of us, though, and acts like a spoiled brat." I responded. Thunder boomed overhead, but Artemis gave out a laugh, so I suppose it was worth it. Will chuckled, while everyone else looked at me in shock.

Jason responded, "Err, Percy? Dude, Mr. D was recalled from Camp Half-Blood before I arrived. Chiron said something about preparing for battle."

Artemis nodded, and told us the problem. "The gods were recalled to Olympus to prepare for war, and to try to calm them down. Olympus is divided, you know. Gods cannot decide which form to keep. Athena is split, but both her forms call for war. Zeus and Jupiter are having problems keeping order."

We sat there, trying to understand, before I gave in and asked the question everyone was thinking. "Okay, then. So where is Mr. D?"

No one spoke, but Piper looked thoughtful. "Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

* * *

We retired to our cabins for the night, but Artemis motioned discretely for me to head up to the deck. I followed a little later, and found her sitting by the side, looking up at the moon she governed. I took a seat next to her, and leaned slightly into her.

"Hey", she muttered, sounding tired. "Hey, how are you doing?" I respond, curious.

"I'm a goddess, Percy. I don't get tired that easily. This has been a very hectic day, you know, but I'll be fine by tomorrow," was her response. "Well, at least we had some fun today, right?" I respond.

"Hmm, when?" Artemis responded, a questioning look on her face. "Our date, Arty. Didn't you have fun?" I ask, curious. "Ah. Of course I did. It was quite amusing; I'd love to do it again sometime." She responded happily, with a blush on her face at the last part.

"I'll take you on a proper date next time, then." I grin, blushing slightly. Artemis swats me for my trouble, but leans into me. "Can we…" she hesitates, and I nudge her slightly. "What?"

"Can we stay like this for a little while, Percy?" she asks, her voice small, looking down, refusing to meet my face. I feel a massive blush crawl up my face, but I manage to respond "Sure."

* * *

"Oh boy, you're so lucky we found you first."

I woke up to Phoebe's voice saying that ridiculous statement. I open my eyes groggily to see Phoebe and Holly standing there, looking at me.

Correction, looking at Artemis and I. Apparently we had fallen asleep sometime when we were talking and relaxing last night. Her head was on my shoulder, and my head was on hers. Blushing furiously, I moved, and her head fell off my shoulder. Artemis awoke with a start, before realizing what had happened almost instantly. "Girls," She said with a furious blush on her face. "If you value your place in the hunt, never speak of this to anyone."

Holly giggled, and said "Sure, we won't. We'll have plenty of fun teasing you guys about it anyway."

Artemis spluttered "That not what I meant!" The two hunters laughed and left us. I got up and said "Well, let's get going before Coach Hedge finds us."

* * *

**Authors Note: Well, as I said up at the top note, I had to split the chapter up due to length and timing. I didn't want to withhold updates for too long, since that always irritates me when reading fanfics. I'll have the other chapter up in a few days, I'm trying to figure out how exactly to adapt the **_**Mark of Athena**_**, and it's taking more time than I thought. **

**Thanks for the reviews, keep posting, and you might get lucky enough to be chosen to get a free question answered via PM. If not, keep posting questions, you guys have given questions I really don't mind answering here so far. I hope you guys enjoyed this part of the story, and hope you'll like the rest.**

**As always, please review and recommend!**


	13. Chapter 13 - Horses and Wine

**Authors Note: And I'm back again, with a quick update, as promised. I tried to finish off a good chunk of the book, but I'll be taking more chapters than I thought finishing the story. **

**Answers to reviews:**

**1) Hedge will be appearing in this chapter, don't fret. **

**2 Whether Percy and Arty may or may not fall into Tartarus, well, you'll have to see. :) **

**3) Percy and Arty aren't deathly afraid of spiders, no. Anything else would be telling.**

_***spoiler alert***_

**I tried to get the next big chunk of the **_**Mark of Athena**_** in to the story. I managed to only get the interaction with Bacchus, but I added an interesting solo fight in for the heck of it. I found some cool creatures when researching Greek legends, and decided to go for some creative interpretations.**

**Wikipedia only calls **_**taraxippoi**_** "horse disturbers", without giving any clear indication as to what the beings are. They're ghosts, apparently, and they scare horses. I decided to have fun with them. There is a Mythological Creature Fact Sheet on the bottom of the chapter.**

_***end spoilers***_

**As always, please read, review, and recommend!**

* * *

_**By the Light of the Moon**_

_**Argo II, Somewhere, USA**_

**Percy's POV**

"Jackson!" Coach Hedge shouted like a drill sergeant. "Where were you last night?"

"Err…" I paused, unsure as to what to say. Artemis took over, saying "What seems to be the problem here, satyr?"

Hedge froze, and I swore I saw a light blush on his face. I started frowning slightly at that, but he responded "Lady Artemis, ma'am, Jackson here was missing from his quarters last night. He was not there when I went around waking everyone up. In addition, his room hasn't been slept in all night, from the smell of things."

Artemis raised an eyebrow, saying "I did not sleep in the quarters provided for me, satyr. Do you presume to question my whereabouts during the night?"

"No ma'am! Of course not, ma'am! I'm his responsibility, however, milady! I'm in charge of his whereabouts!" Hedge stuttered awkwardly. Artemis gave a piercing stare, before shaking her head slightly.

"I suppose that is true. Go on, Percy. Tell them the embarrassing truth. You went up to stare at the stars for a bit, and fell asleep up on deck." Artemis said pointedly, with a small grin concealed cleverly on her face.

"Err, that's right. I couldn't sleep, so I snuck up to take a look at the stars and stuff. I must have dozed off, until Arty here found me." I say, which was technically true.

Hedge grunted, before responding "Fine. Don't let it happen again, cupcake, or else."

"So," Piper said, changing the topic of discussion as smoothly as possible. "We're here now. I want to check out the highway. Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with a goblet. He had to be Bacchus, and Jason said as much.

Artemis responded, "Good. Percy, Piper, Jason and I will go. The rest of you, stay here and guard the ship. Gaea's minions may try to stage another attack."

Frank scowled at the thought, saying "Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"That sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well…you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. Anyone here understand engineering?"

The general reply was no, so Leo scowled dejectedly and started mumbling to himself.

Frank twisted his bow-ring around his finger absentmindedly. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for any of Gaea's minions."

"Why turn into a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah, well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.—"

Hazel stepped between them.

"I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."

Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. There are lots of fields, lots of crops. There could be _karpoi _on the loose."

"What are _Karpoi_?"Piper asked.

"Grain spirits," Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."

And on that friendly note, we all departed, Phoebe and Holly helping Coach Hedge and Leo with the repairs, Will deciding to help Frank and Hazel scout.

* * *

Leo had said they were close. His idea of "close" needed some work.

After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," I said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

Artemis sighed, and stared at me. "Perseus, honestly. I wasn't going to say anything, but this has been quite irritating. I cannot use _my_ powers to get us there, as you know."

"Yes…?" I respond, unsure of where my girlfriend was going with that line of thought.

Artemis shook her head, muttering "boys," under her breath. "Look. I can't use _my _powers, but you're not so constrained. I really am bound not to say much more than that."

"Oh." I realize what she's referring to, and slap my forehead in irritation. "Piper, Jason, link hands and one of you grab mine."

They did as I asked, looking confused. I take Artemis' hand in mine, and grab Jason's in my other hand. I then take a breath and summon water out of the air. Before anyone can make a sound of protest or otherwise, I walk through, transporting us to the sign.

I let go of their hands, Artemis' rather reluctantly. It would be awkward to run into Mr. D holding hands. The others look disoriented by the trip; rather like how I felt the first time I used it. I had used sea travel so many times by now it didn't affect me, though.

Artemis shook her head, some droplets of water from the travel flying loose. "That was quite interesting. However, I could do without the shower." Jason ran a hand through his hair, letting the water fall off. "Ugh. I can't say I liked that, sorry. I'm a son of Jupiter, water really isn't my thing." Piper simply blinked once, saying "That was… weird."

I look around, saying "No sign of the wine dude." Artemis chuckles, while the others give questioning glances.

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields.

The wheat parted, and a man stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over.

"Did someone just call me the _wine dude_?" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please, or Mr. Bacchus, or Lord Bacchus, or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."

Artemis rolls her eyes at him, but steps forward, flickering into Diana. "Bacchus." She said in a stern tone of voice.

The wine god squints slightly at her, before saying with some surprise. "Diana? Why are you here and where is Ceres?"

Diana responds "I'm part of a quest, Bacchus. As for where Ceres is, I'm not sure. Why, were you planning to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to _party_, Diana. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The _karpoi _are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."

"The plant war," I said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"

The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"

"At Camp Half-Blood," I said, "I know you as Mr. D—Dionysus."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. He flickered into the form I was familiar with for a moment. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded. "Boy, stop thinking about me in Greek!"

I blinked. "Uh, but—" Bacchus continued his rant. "Do you have any idea how _hard _it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! I'm constantly grumpy!"

"That sounds pretty normal for you," I said. The god's nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that _other _camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."

Before I could respond, Diana cut in angrily. "Try that, Bacchus, and you'll face more than just Neptune's wrath." The god frowned, but the purple glow faded in his eyes. "Defending a boy, Diana? Humph, you've changed. Anyway, why have you come here? A quest, you said?"

Piper cleared her throat, and took over from there. She explained about the _Argo II _and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

"A silver goblet, you said?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can. "Young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know. I was a demigod myself, the son of Jupiter!"

Jason flinched. Probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother. Diana gave a light wince, sharing the sentiment. For the first time, I realized that the two were siblings.

Bacchus swung his Pepsi through the air as it transformed into a _thyrsus_, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance when it finished changing. "Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod…Harry Cheese, I think."

"Do you mean Heracles?" Piper suggested politely. Diana gave a light growl at the name, and I shared the sentiment, thinking of the arrogant demigod.

"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two were, so a pinecone in the face for both of them!"

"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!" Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't _do _quests."

"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," she insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think…I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. They're your opponents. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You _have _to help us kill the giants!"

Bacchus glared at her, and Piper realized she'd chosen her words poorly. "My girl," he said coldly, "I don't _have _to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."

Diana gave him a glare, which he ignored by staring directly at Piper. Diana then spoke up, saying "Bacchus. While I understand your reasons, you will help. Jupiter demands it."

"I understand that I am obligated to fight our Giant foes, Diana." Bacchus snapped at her, "However, I am not obligated to help them when they do not give me proper tribute!"

I voiced the question all the demigods were thinking, saying "What kind of tribute?"

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing _you _could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have _some _manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."

Piper hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?" Bacchus nodded, "That's the one."

"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? Is he a Titan?"

Bacchus laughed, but before he could say anything, Diana responded, saying "He is a god, of a fashion. He commands the hidden depths, if I recall, he lives in the aquarium at Atlanta."

"Yes," Bacchus said. "If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him." Diana gave a scowl at his words. "What do you mean?" Jason asked.

The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or…" The god's face suddenly went slack. "Or it's a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"

"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested. The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped. Diana, shifting back to Artemis, scowled. "I hate that insolent drunk. Why do I have to be related to _him_? Are all my brothers idiots?"

Jason protested, saying "Hey!" Artemis blinked once, realizing what I had earlier. "Oh, right. I forgot that you are my half-brother. Well, for a boy, you are decent. Anyone who Percy is friends with cannot be that bad."

The wind rustled through the sunflowers, interrupting their discussion. They stopped and looked at the direction Bacchus disappeared in.

The sunflowers were pushed aside by a few horse-like creatures. They flickered and were transparent.

"Are they…" Jason asked, questioning, "Ghosts?"

At this line, the horses eyes caught fire, and they whinnied, raising their forelegs into the air threateningly.

Oddly enough, I couldn't understand their words. This was strange for me, because as the son of the Father of Horses, I should be able to understand all horses.

"No, they are not just ghosts." Artemis ventured, sounding tentative. "These creatures are _taraxippoi_! I've never seen them before!"

"Horse disturbers?" I question, translating the Greek naturally. "I've never heard of them, but if _you've _never seen them before, I suppose that's understandable."

Just then, one of the ghost horses slammed its leg into the ground, snorting. With a mighty belch, it charged at me.

We all jumped aside, drawing our weapons. I rolled, slashing instinctively with Riptide, which I uncapped in an instant.

The blade passed right through the horse with no visible damage. "Wha…" I mutter, while the others look startled.

"Percy!" Artemis shouted at me. "These are ghosts, remember? Celestial bronze of that level cannot harm them. Leave this to me, the rest of you get back to the ship and warn the others."

Jason and Piper nod, and turn to me. "Arty…" I mutter. "Come on, Percy. She's a goddess, she'll be fine." Jason says, staring at the ghosts nervously. One of them turns in our direction, and neighs violently, its eyes catching fire.

I clench my teeth, turning around, and gently push Jason and Piper backward into a wall of water. I look back at Artemis, and see one of the horses about to slam into her from behind. She's slashing at one with her hunting knives, but the creature is dispersing into mist too fine for even her to cut.

I give a shout, and charge at the creature without knowing what I'm thinking. The Trident forms within my hand, and I stab the creature about to hurt Artemis, watching it burst into silvery dust.

"That's right." I grin, turning to stare at Artemis. "This is godly-level celestial bronze. Let's see you face off us!" I twirl the trident slightly, before sending a bolt of blue energy at one of the _taraxippoi_. It widens its flame filled eyes in shock before bursting into dust.

Artemis laughs, before grinning violently. "Alright, then, I suppose I've been holding back a bit. Thank you for letting me even the field a bit, Percy!" With a cry of happiness, she charges at the nearest _taraxippus_, stabbing it with one knife and swinging onto its back, plunging the other blade in the other side. As it dispersed into dust, she flipped backward, landing gracefully. She charged at the next one, looking feral and wild.

I smile myself, before starting to fight the horses with my trident. I haven't used this kind of weapon much, so I'm unskilled with melee combat, but I soon discovered that I can throw it and it will return to my hand.

I soon started tossing the trident at the creatures, which turned and fled from our onslaught. Artemis gave a wonderful laugh, and moved in closer to me. Leaning upward slightly, she kissed me on the lips gently.

Laughing at my expression, she responds "That was for worrying about me. I'm a goddess, and I can handle it, but it was nice to know you care."

Staring into her silver eyes, so much like the moon she governed, I was mesmerized. I moved in closer for another kiss, and she started doing the same. Kissing for several seconds, we broke apart reluctantly.

"The others," Artemis murmured. "If there was an ambush here, we best get moving before Gaea's forces attack us back at the ship."

Turning, we moved to travel back to the ship, our hands still intertwined.

* * *

**Authors Note: Well, again, I had to split the story up. I had promised a quick update, and so I tried to fit it in by today. Hope you guys liked it, even if it was a bit lacking content wise. Tell me what you thought of the **_**taraxippoi**_**, I'm a bit nervous about their usage.**

**As I said up on the upper author's note, here's the fact sheet:**

_**Mythological Creature Fact Sheet**_

**Name**: _Taraxippus_ (plural: _taraxippoi_)

**Meaning: **Horse Disturber

**Appearance: **Ghostly horse, semi-transparent, with a blue-white body. Eyes fill with flames when the creature wishes.

**Mythology:** _Taraxippoi_ are wild and vengeful spirits, ghosts of dead horses. They disturb living horses in an effort to obtain revenge against any who wronged them in life. They are known for disturbing competitions and sporting events.

**Sightings:** The first known sighting of a _taraxippus_ outside of a sporting event was recently, when the Goddess Artemis and accompanying demigods, including the famous Percy Jackson, were accosted by some of these spirits, ones who served the Earth Mother. The stories tell of how the goddess and the famous demigod fought off a whole herd without suffering a scratch or breaking a sweat.

**I might do more of these from time to time, it was quite fun to write. Tell me of any other outlandish or relatively unknown monsters from Greek mythology you want me to use and document here, I'll do the research and include it, if you're lucky.**

**As always, please review and recommend!**


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